


eternal wintertide

by badalive



Series: slavonic dance no.2, op.72 [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Prince Changbin, Prince Hyunjin, Prince Jisung, Prince Seungmin, Seasonal Spirits and Guardians, Slow Burn, Summer Minho, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, autumn chan, but not the main characters, spring jeongin, winter felix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:40:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27903127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badalive/pseuds/badalive
Summary: After the accidental awakening of the Winter spirit, an eternal frost covers the surrounding spiritual kingdoms, harming the creatures and their crops. A young energy, the Winter spirit can only be tamed by the youngest out of all the seasons — the Spring spirit.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin, Lee Felix/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Series: slavonic dance no.2, op.72 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1969495
Comments: 37
Kudos: 121





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new work! 
> 
> I honestly cannot take a break ever so if you've come from measures and mugs and are wondering why I'm already posting a new work, it's because I'm bored and I don't have the ability to take a break. 
> 
> Honestly as I was writing this it seemed to me a bit like Frozen so take come plot points from that movie (both of them) and there will be some similarities. 
> 
> Also, this is my first Royal AU so be nice T-T
> 
> * A king can be younger than a prince, as seen with Jeongin and Seungmin. A prince also doesn't have to be related to the king at all.

To be the Spring spirit was something Jeongin had never seen coming for him. 

He used to live life as an ordinary boy in the village, waking up every morning at the crack of dawn to tend to the livestock his family owned and traded for various necessities. He remembers the feel of the soft cows under his fingertips as he brushed them, removing any sort of knots from their hairs and making sure they were well fed. 

He also remembers the way his mother would always come out to help him feed the pigs; she would always have a wide smile that could rival the sun, and despite their daily hardships, she never appeared to grow old nor tired. 

Spring was her favourite season, never failing to tell her children every night just how she was never happy in the Winter Kingdom, and how when she turned of age she immediately moved away from the eternal winter and to the beautiful, blossoming Spring Kingdom. There, she met their father and had started a family. 

“And now I have my beautiful family.” She’d say with her infamous smile, poking Jeongin on the nose which made him giggle. 

Often there were times in which his mother was stressed. Those were the times her natural hair would start to grow back to its snowy white, a colour she desperately tried to get rid of with artificial colouring agents. 

Jeongin never understood why she’d stand in front of the mirror for hours on end, looking at each individual strand of hair on her head. He thought she looked pretty with her white hair. 

War struck when Jeongin was thirteen. His mother forced him and his siblings to go into hiding at a nearby shelter whilst their father and her stayed behind to help others in the battlefields. Jeongin remembers her hair slowly going back to white as she shed crystal tears, hugging her sons for the last time before turning her back and leaving, never to be seen again.

His mother would die in the war, as would his father. 

He would eventually be separated from his brothers when it was discovered that he was the heir apparent to the Spring spirit. 

He had been playing in the garden with the other children when daisies began to sprout with each step he took, soon leaving a trail of daisies in the shape of footprints. The caretakers at the shelter were shocked at his ability and had contacted the cabinet as soon as they were positive they came from the boy. 

Jeongin doesn’t remember much but he knows that he was separated from his brothers and taken to the castle, where he was immediately put into training to be the Crown Prince. And later on, the former king had been exiled and imprisoned for his war crimes and left the vacant throne all for Jeongin to take. 

The prince had ascended to king, and was alone once again. 

A knock at his door rips him out of his thoughts, and he adjusts himself and clears his throat, “Come in.” 

The door opens, revealing one of his maids. She silently walks in, bows, and says, “Dinner is ready, your majesty. His royal highness is already waiting for you in the dining hall.” Without further word, she bows again and leaves. 

The silence is deafening. So much so that Jeongin stands up, fixes his cape, and decides to go and head down to the dining hall, where Seungmin is undoubtedly waiting for him. 

On his way down, he passes a portrait of his mother. He had it made with the only picture he had of her — a picture she had given him to remember her by. The photograph was used as a reference, but in the painting she looked regal and absolutely stunning. 

Her hair was just as long as it had been when he last saw her. Her eyes were round and slightly hooded to show some regality, but her soft smile was immortalised right in the portrait. When telling the royal artist as to what colours he wanted, Jeongin had specifically told him that he desired to see her in purple, since it was the colour of royalty. 

He gave him exactly what he desired, and Jeongin couldn’t be happier. 

She smiles down at him as he walks past, hand reaching to grab onto the railing of the staircase for balance. The other hand fists his cape, making sure it won’t be a safety hazard as he descends. The staircase, even if covered in carpet, can still cause injury if one is not careful. 

When he reaches the first landing, he is met with guards at either side of the stairs. They immediately bow and cross their arms over their chests — a symbol of their allegiance. Though dramatic, Jeongin can’t help but feel like a true monarch whenever his cabinet and employees bow with their arms over their chests. 

Jeongin bows back and strolls towards the dining hall. 

* * *

“Ah, there you are,” Seungmin calls out as he enters the room, “I was beginning to think you might’ve gotten lost.. your majesty.” He says the title with a voice barely above a whisper, leaning forward a bit and smirking. 

Jeongin scoffs, “Hahaha.” He sarcastically laughs, rolling his eyes discreetly and going to his chair at the opposite side to where Seungmin stood. 

He motions for Seungmin to take a seat, which he does, “What are we having for dinner tonight?” 

“Oh, your absolute favourite — pasta.” His voice exaggerates the last bit, paired with a shake of his head which makes him feel as if the Prince is mocking him. 

He isn’t, though, because Jeongin would be able to tell immediately. 

Jeongin suppresses a groan; they’ve had pasta for the past consecutive Tuesdays that he was starting to get sick of it. Seungmin was entirely in the right to teasingly call pasta his favourite — he loved the food to the point where it was sickening to eat any more of it. 

The doors open and in come two servers, who each hold three plates of a variety of foods. The largest dish, which lays on one hand each, is the pasta. The others? It’s always a mystery until they lift up the covers and reveal what's underneath. 

The servers set the plates down in front of the king and the prince, waiting until all the dishes were set to finally lift off the covers. They removed the ones from the smallest plates first, revealing an assortment of fruits from the Summer Kingdom. Imports, if you will. The next plate contained their dessert — a slice of carrot cake each. 

When the pasta was revealed, Jeongin wasn’t surprised to see it was just regular pasta. 

“Thank you,” he softly says, beckoning the server aside. Seungmin does the same and both servers exit the room, leaving them alone. 

Not feeling the pasta, Jeongin immediately tosses it to the side and points the palm of his hand to where the plate now lay, scattered. Without saying anything, a flowerpot appears in place of the plate and out sprouts a rose bush, one that resembles the other rose bushes lining up the room. None of the employees knew, but the other bushes were also discarded pasta dishes thrown by the king. 

Seungmin doesn’t waste time to start a conversation, “Did you hear about the Winter spirit?” 

Jeongin stabs a piece of fruit and gives Seungmin a look, “We shouldn’t be gossiping at the dinner table.” Seungmin rolls his eyes and slurps some pasta, making sure to be loud enough to annoy the king. After a couple seconds of pure chewing noises, Seungmin lowers his silverware and wipes at his mouth, “It’s not exactly gossip if everyone is talking about it.” 

He continues, “Everyone except you, of course.” 

Sighing through his nose, Jeongin falls back against the back of the chair, twirling a strawberry between his fingers, “Alright, I’ll bite. What’s happening over at the Winter wonderland?” 

“The queen has fallen ill,” is what Seungmin replies with, voice changing a bit. “Word has it that she won’t last any longer in her grave condition.” 

“But she has no heir apparent… What will happen?” 

“Her cabinet is desperately searching for her heir. They’re invading the villages that surround her palace in search for the next Crown. So far, they haven’t had any luck and she’s expected to pass on any day now.” 

Jeongin closes his eyes for a second, pushing away the tales his mother had told him about the Winter Kingdom to just think about the situation at hand. As worried as he was, he couldn’t do anything to help the Royal Cabinet of Winter in their unfortunate foraging. He will just have to stand aside and hope everything works out fine for them and their ascendant. 

“May God help the Winter monarchy.” Jeongin quietly says, opening his eyes and taking a bite out of the strawberry. 


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> garden stuff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just want to say that in every kingdom it is always that specific season! for example in the spring kingdom it’s always spring all year and in the summer kingdom it’s summer 365 days a year. holidays are not affected, though.

It is near noon the next day when Jeongin is sitting at his garden, tending to his plants and making sure they are properly living and cared for. His garden is beautiful; many different species of flowers living together in glorious harmony. Blues and purples sitting side by side perfectly just like the reds and yellows. 

Vines and cherry blossoms extended from above, decorating the garden in almost a fantastical way. The cherry blossoms hold various butterfly species that — just like the flowers — live a harmonious life with each other. 

He’s on his knees, digging into the cold soil to adjust some petunias. Whilst they weren’t his overall favourite flower, he loved them and always prided himself on how breathtaking they always appear to be. 

Jeongin isn’t worried about possibly getting dirt under his nails or near his clothing. In fact, he welcomes the feeling and possibility of it. To have dirt under his nails gives him a closer connection to the spirit, and that’s when he feels truly at peace. 

Though, there are thoughts that linger at the back of his head. 

He extracts his hands from the petunias and turns to the chrysanthemums, his absolute favourite flowers in the extensive garden. They’re perky, obviously well taken care of and given the most attention. He reaches to cup one of the blossoming flowers and smiles when it dances the moment his fingertips lay against the soft petals. 

“You seem happy today,” Jeongin says with a giggle. He loves to communicate with his precious flowers, knowing that they can hear and  _ understand  _ him. Sure, they can’t talk back to him, but he’s always astonished whenever they dance for him, happy that the boy is back in the garden. 

Jeongin adjusts the soil and leans in to kiss one of the chrysanthemums, eyes sparkling as he watches the flower glow pink for a moment before shooting glitter into the air. As the glitter falls back due to gravity, the petals of the flower get covered by the particles and the chrysanthemum wiggles happily. 

Jeongin adores his powers.

“My king,” Seungmin’s voice softly says from behind him. Jeongin hums, “Hyung.” 

“Dropping formalities? Alright, Jeongin ah.” 

Jeongin breathily scoffs, grin widening as he stands up and looks down at his hands. He’s not surprised to discover an accumulation of dirt under his slightly long, manicured nails and he knows he’ll get a scolding from his maids if he doesn’t clean up immediately. 

With a simple tap he eliminates the dirt from his nails and it all disappears from not only his hands, but his clothes as well. He looks as if he’d never put a hand into the flowerbeds — clean, if you must. 

“What brings you to the garden, hyung? You’re barely here.” Jeongin asks as he strolls off to the central fountain. Seungmin follows him, hands behind his back in a regal posture. 

“Well, I missed your presence inside the castle and when I asked your advisor as to where you were, he said that you were out here. Curious, I decided to come and see what you were doing.” 

“‘M just tending to my plants,” Jeongin dreamily replies, crouching to caress a tulip. The flower dances in happiness, which makes both the king and the prince grin. 

“Your plants really do seem to love you, Jeongin.” 

The king stands upright again and looks at Seungmin with gentle eyes, “I sure hope so.” He scans around the garden, eyes wandering from plant to plant until they land on the patch of carnations right next to the hollyhocks. 

Silently walking over to the carnations, Jeongin extends his hand and twirls it, conjuring water to give to the flowers. “Poor things,” He coos, “Sorry I didn’t notice you before.” He says as he reaches to pet each and every carnation, getting happy wiggles in response. 

“You have a good eye,” Seungmin notes from behind him, watching as he continued to touch the flowers, “I wouldn’t have been able to tell that the carnations needed tending to.” 

Jeongin nods, “Yes, well — I’m the one with the spirit in me.” He stands up, dusting himself off and turning to look at Seungmin, “Oh, there’s a blossom in your hair.” 

Seungmin looks confused, so Jeongin reaches up to pluck it out from his cherry red hair, twirling it between his pointer and ring finger before presenting it to Seungmin with a smirk, “The blossoms like you.” 

“Do they? I swear they’ve only ever teased me.” 

Jeongin laughs, shaking his head and walking away from where Seungmin stood. The prince, of course, follows him but keeps on staring at the blossom in his left hand with raised eyebrows. 

“It’s rather chilly, isn’t it?” 

“You feel it, too? I thought it was just me. It is rather cold today.” 

_ ‘Strange’ _ , Jeongin thinks to himself. It was spring year round, why would it suddenly be so cold? Of course, there are days where it would be mild but the day before they had record high temperatures, how can it go down so quickly with no warning at all?

Two of the king’s guards stand at the exit of the garden, unmoving even as the boys come closer with every step they take. 

But as soon as Jeongin crosses his arms over his chest and bows, the guards mirror his actions and the one on the left speaks, “Your majesty, we have been informed that their respective majesties, the King of Summer and King of Autumn, are to arrive at the castle right about now.” 

Jeongin furrows his eyebrows, “What for?”  _ And why so quickly?  _

“They would not say, but it appears as though the matter is urgent.” The guards straighten up and step aside to clear the path for both the king and the prince. 

The king nods firmly, “The prince and I will greet them when they’ve arrived.” 

They move forward, back into the castle and down the spiral stone staircase onto the first floor landing, where the display of royal portraits fill the otherwise dull walls with a variety of colours. Jeongin could stare at each and every individual painting for hours, but unfortunately there wasn’t time for that at the moment. 

Jeongin barely has time to adjust himself before the massive wooden doors of the foyer open, revealing an assortment of Spring guards and four individuals that stood out. One of them wore a tailored suit of pure black with red accents, paired with a cape that dragged for metres. 

The other king wore a sort of gown with sleeves that were decorated in a gradient of orange and yellow, representing his season elegantly. His cape was also a gradient — flowing in the air behind him and seemingly not as long as the first king’s. 

They step into the castle, and Jeongin bows deeply. The kings and their princes follow suit, bowing until they've nearly bent in half and standing upright after a couple silent seconds. Jeongin looks from the Summer king to the Autumn king and gulps, “Your majesties, your royal highnesses.” 

“Your majesty.” The other kings echo, along with their princes. They turn to Seungmin, “Your royal highness.” 

“Your majesties, your royal highnesses.” 

Jeongin snaps his fingers at the guards, who turn on their feet and march back outside to their positions. 

Once they’re gone, he lowers his hand and gives the royals a warm, but careful smile. After all, he had no idea as to why they were here but due to the quickness of their arrival he could only guess that it wasn’t due to something good. 

“Right, let’s go somewhere private, shall we?” 


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the queen is dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact — jeongin’s crown is made of solidified wood and it has a large topaz stone in the middle surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of tiny diamonds.

As soon as the doors to the private study close, Jeongin whirls around on the spot and tilts his head in question, “What’s going on, hyungs?” 

Minho sighs, pulling up a chair and throwing himself on it in a sad manner, bringing a hand up to rub at his face in exasperation, “I’m afraid we have some unfortunate news.” He looks at Chan, who bites the inside of his cheek and glances at the floor. 

“The Winter queen is dead.” 

“What?” Seungmin exclaims, voice nearly cracking in disbelief at the sudden news, “She had a few days at the most — how did her illness progress so quickly?” 

“She was weak and fragile… It was bound to happen.” Chan softly answers, finally looking up from the floor to directly look at Jeongin, “Innie ah, do you feel that chill?” 

Jeongin nods slowly, unsure of what Chan was hinting towards, “Yes? It’s been like this since dawn.” 

Chan urgently looks at Prince Jisung, who was standing right next to Prince Hyunjin of Summer. He beckons the prince over with a finger, silent as the younger nodded and makes his way over to Chan. His face is completely stoic, showing little to no emotion.

“Jisung felt the queen’s power purge at dawn, signalling her death. But as of right now he’s been feeling signs of a terribly strong, untamed aura rolling in large waves over all our kingdoms. It’s a masculine energy; young, too.” Chan explains in a hushed voice, leaning forward so that Jeongin could hear him. 

Next to the Autumn king, Jisung nods at every word Chan says, “We worry that the new Winter spirit has awoken; and the longer left untamed the colder the surrounding kingdoms get until we are left with a bitter, eternal frost.” 

Chan opens his mouth to add on when the doors suddenly burst open and in comes Jongho, Jeongin’s advisor and the king’s head guard. He hastily bows in apology for interrupting but as soon as his body is bent in half he snaps right back up and looks at everyone gravely. 

He walks to Jeongin, bows deeply, and hands him a folder filled with official documents. The folder is thick, no doubt weighing more than an encyclopaedia, and Jeongin notes to himself that he should work on his strength more. 

Opening the front, Jeongin quickly scans the first document:

**_Winter Spirit Line of Succession_ **

He scans down each and every line until the past queen, coming to a full stop and reading the information provided. 

_ Queen Jinhee of Winter - b. 1875 d. 2020 _

_ Predecessor - Prince Andrew of Winter  _

_ Successor - ??? _

_ Winter spirit: ALIVE _

Jeongin’s blood runs cold, and he nearly drops the folder if it weren’t for Jongho who takes it back and tucks it under his arm. He doesn’t dismiss Jongho, but rather asks him to place the stupidly large file on his desk for later. 

As Jongho goes to do as he was told, Jeongin glances up at the others and takes a deep breath, “The Winter spirit is alive. Successor is unknown.” He shakily sits down, shaking his head when Seungmin offers him a glass of water and instead focuses on his breathing. 

Minho shares a look with Chan, and turning to the Spring spirit he says, “The Winter spirit is untamed, hurling his dangerous powers over to our kingdoms — which are defenceless against spiritual magic — and slowly beginning to destroy our beautiful lands whilst we sit here and do nothing!” 

Chan grabs Minho’s hand, “Love, calm down. We all know what must be done to fix this before it’s too late.” 

“I must go and tame the spirit myself.” Jeongin answers monotonously, “I’m the youngest out of all of us — it is my responsibility to travel to the Winter Kingdom and help their new ruler. And save our own people at the same time.” 

“Are you sure you want to?” 

Scoffing at such a question, Jeongin raises his palm face up and grows a single chrysanthemum from the centre. It was coloured a blood red, petals drooping as soon as the dropping temperatures hit it, and the king felt his heart drop. He takes a moment to stare at it and then he crushes the flower in his hand, knuckles nearly turning white from how hard he was squeezing, and kisses his fist. 

“My children are dying.” His voice is barely above a whisper, and there are vines growing from the corners of the room. They begin to wither away as they extend further, drooping just as the air hits them and Jeongin doesn’t miss the way they flop to the ground, dead. 

In urgency, Jeongin runs out of the room, alerting the other occupants. He turns the corner harshly and nearly trips over his cape, which is why he reaches up to the pins holding it to his suit and releases it. His cape flies off, landing somewhere behind him as he turns another corner and comes to a sliding stop at the entrance of his garden. 

“No…” He softly says, entering the garden and falling to his knees as he took in the sight before him. 

All of his beautiful children, fallen. 

“My king!” Seungmin cries out, running into the garden and dropping to his own knees to throw a fabric — Jeongin’s cape — over his shivering body. Jeongin doesn’t say anything, he just stares at the stone floor of the garden, tears clouding his vision. 

He shakes his head, rubbing his eyes harshly and looking at Seungmin, bottom lip trembling, “My garden…” His voice cracks, and there’s a tear coming from his left eye. Seungmin isn’t in any better state, sniffling as he tries to avoid looking at the plants but he  _ can’t  _ and it’s painful to see what has become of the once beautiful, lively masterpiece. 

Chan steps into the area, placing a hand on a now sobbing Jeongin’s shoulder and squeezing it in comfort. Minho, however, looks up at the ceiling with mocks the sky and gasps, loud enough to grab the attention of the other monarchs and the princes. 

They all look up at the ceiling and a horrible, gut twisting feeling fills each of their stomachs. 

There, on the ceiling, were nimbostratus clouds rolling in. 

“We’re leaving immediately.” 

“ _ We _ ? As in both of us? Who will oversee the kingdom whilst we’re gone?” 

Jeongin bites his lip, looking from Chan to Minho before turning back to Seungmin, “Jongho will oversee the kingdom. I trust him to take care of the people during the time we are gone.” 

Minho steps up, hands behind his back, “We will leave Prince Hyunjin and Prince Jisung here to act as figureheads. Whilst Jongho will have control over the cabinet for the time being, the princes will act as the royalty of the kingdom. We cannot possibly leave a monarchy without some form of monarch, so we offer the princes to you, King Jeongin.” 

Hyunjin and Jisung appear on either side of Minho, bowing deeply and then rising up again. Hyunjin looks at Jisung, who nods firmly and says affirmatively:

“We will take care of your powerful kingdom whilst you are gone, King Jeongin.” 

Jeongin sniffles and wipes his face, giving the princes a smile, “Thank you, hyungs. All of you.” 

“It’s nothing, really,” Chan nods with a smile of his own. 

The king stands up and dusts himself off — Seungmin following suit — and folds his cape neatly into a square over his left arm. Seungmin hands him his own cape, which is folded into a triangle, and bows. 

Jeongin places his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistles, summoning the royal maids who rush to his assistance. He gives each maid a cape, dismissing them and keeping the ones who are empty handed right where they stand. 

“You,” He points to the maid on the left, “Prepare the Prince and I’s horses, we are travelling to the Winter Kingdom.” 

The maid nods firmly, crossing her arms over her chest and bowing. Jeongin dismisses her and looks at the only maid left, “You and all the other royal employees will serve Prince Hyunjin, Prince Jisung, and Royal Advisor Jongho whilst I am gone. They are not your monarchs, but they’re still your higher ups so you  _ will  _ obey them, understood?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Good. You are dismissed.” 

As soon as she’s gone, Jeongin sighs deeply and shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and inhaling through his mouth. Next to him, Seungmin takes off his blazer and throws it on the ground next to him, not caring about it getting dirty. 

Jeongin flicks his wrist and suddenly they’re both dressed in winter clothing, ignoring the looks of awe from the other monarchs and their princes as a thick gown covers both his and Seungmin’s bodies each. Over the gown is an overcoat, thick as well with fur lining the inside for insulation. 

“I had no idea you could do that.” 

“There are many things you don’t know about me, Hyunjin hyung.” Jeongin says with a smirk, taking off his crown and tossing it over to Chan, who catches it with both hands and holds it gently. 

He looks to Seungmin, who tosses his own crown at Jisung, and says, “That does not suit you whatsoever.” 

“Look who’s talking.” 

“I will hang you from your ankle and leave you here for eternity.” 

“You wanna kiss me so bad.” 

“Go to hell!” 

“Where do you think I am?!” 

Jisung places a hand between them, “Girls, girls you’re both ugly now can we just continue with the plan? Some of us have dying kingdoms.” 


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> travelling

Jeongin  _ hates  _ the cold. 

Even with his layers, he could still feel himself tremble violently against the cold, dry air. He knows he must look rather pathetic, shivering harshly because of something as simple as the cold weather, but he has lived his entire life in a warm atmosphere. The cold was something he was never thoroughly prepared for.

He holds on tight to his horse, teeth clattering as a strong wind blows to his left. 

“God, if it’s like this on the border I can’t imagine how it must be like inside the actual kingdom.” Seungmin mutters from behind him, fairing pretty well compared to Jeongin, who is clearly suffering. 

Jeongin is silent and can only hum in regards to what Seungmin said, staring right ahead at the large, ice sculpted border of the Winter Kingdom. It inches closer and closer with every step their horses take, and Jeongin feels himself getting colder and colder. 

They only make it about another half mile before there’s a foreign yell and suddenly a body falls from above, landing with an ‘oof’ right in the snow. 

Jeongin makes his horse stop, Seungmin following suit, and he peers down at the man who has fallen, “Are you alright?” 

Behind him, Seungmin hops off his horse and goes to the man. He hooks his arms under the other’s own and helps him up to his feet, stepping away once the stranger is balanced and able to wipe the snow off himself. He thanks Seungmin, who simply bows and steps back a bit to give him space. 

The man is shorter than Seungmin. He has dark hair which goes past his ears and is wearing clothing pertaining to the Winter empire, so Jeongin is easily able to recognise him as a Winter citizen. 

“What is a Winter citizen doing outside the border?” Jeongin inquires aloud, catching the attention of both the man and Seungmin. 

The stranger cocks his head to the side, “What’s the Spring King doing outside his own kingdom?” 

Jeongin’s eyes narrow, and he gets off his horse to approach the man. He grabs his chin, ignoring his cry at being touched, and examines him thoroughly. He finds bits of frost attached to his skin like scabs, similar to the blossoms growing on the side of Seungmin’s torso. 

Royalty. 

Jeongin steps back, eyes flickering up and down before locking solely on the other’s face, “The prince.” 

“What?” 

Next to him, Seungmin leans over, “Are you sure?” His voice is filled with uncertainty, and it nearly makes Jeongin scoff at the ridiculousness. 

“He has frost just like how you have blossoms. He’s the Winter Prince.” 

The man looks at Seungmin with a stupid grin, “You’re pretty.” Seungmin, who looks unimpressed with the stranger, turns to Jeongin, “He must’ve hit his head.” 

“Concussion?” 

“What? I did not!” The man sighs and looks at the king, “Look, I’m Changbin and apparently I’m the prince so hi, Prince Changbin of Winter. And you are?” 

“King Jeongin of Spring and Prince Seungmin of Spring.” 

“See that wasn’t so difficult.” Changbin continues to have the stupid grin on his face, and it nearly feels as if he’s teasing Jeongin with how sarcastic his tone is paired with the grin. 

Jeongin lifts an eyebrow, “Your tone bothers me.” 

“Look, your majesty, you’re younger than me. In fact — I’m older than you both — so honestly if we’re discussing tones  _ yours  _ is bothering  _ me _ .” Changbin retorts matter-of-factly, hands out as he shrugs, smirking. 

“I am the King —”

“Of Spring yes but I’m not a Spring citizen so.. you are not my king.” 

Seungmin whistles lowly, crossing his arms over his chest and nudging Jeongin with his shoulder, “He got you there.” 

“Forget it!” Jeongin growls, shaking his head and clenching his fists, “Do you know where the palace is, Mr Winter citizen?” 

“Well, obviously I do.” 

“I will actually end your shit right here on this very spot.” 

The Winter prince takes a step back, letting out a deep belly laugh and throwing his head back, “Woah, woah! Calm down with the threats, your majesty! If you want to make it to the palace you’ll have to let me live at least long enough to make it there.” 

Seungmin opens his mouth to say something but Jeongin conjures a poinsettia right on his tongue, making him choke on the unexpected flower.

He stares at Changbin all the while, eyebrows furrowed and expression stoic, “Alright, lead the way, your royal highness.”

* * *

Changbin takes control of Seungmin’s horse, and the younger is forced to have his arms wrapped around Changbin’s torso as they make their way to the palace. The Winter prince has a smug smile on his face; it’s not every day that he has an extremely cute boy clinging onto him and he wasn’t about to let this moment go to waste. 

He manoeuvres the horse to be in front of Jeongin’s own, and whispers over to Seungmin, “Y’know, you’d look amazing with flowers in your hair.” 

“My crown is made of flowers,” Seungmin whispers back, tone slightly easier than before. 

Changbin hums, “What sort of flowers?” 

There’s a brief moment of silence before Seungmin replies back in a much softer voice, “Clematis and heliotrope.” 

“Ain’t it true that flowers have meanings? What are the meanings of those two?” 

“Mental beauty and eternal love…” Seungmin trails off, looking into the distance with a sad sort of expression, “My mother’s favourite flowers were edelweiss. I have an entire altar in her honour with hundreds of edelweiss and forget-me-not surrounding a life sized portrait of her.” 

Changbin reaches down to place a hand over Seungmin’s own, squeezing it as a form of comfort. Sighing, Seungmin leans closer and places his head on Changbin’s upper back, closing his eyes. 

“Y’know, my mother once told me that she remembered the first time the winter flowers grew in the kingdom. She described them as having their own beauty, even if they didn’t come from the Spring kingdom. She told me about how her and her sisters would go and pick winterberries and crocus to decorate their house with. Her eyes would always sparkle whenever she’d tell me about the plants that grow here…” 

Seungmin lifts his head up, holding onto Changbin tighter than before. He opens his mouth, softly whispering into the other prince’s ear, “The Druids believed that holly has protective qualities in it! Your mother and her sisters probably had no idea but they were protecting their home whilst decorating.” 

“You have so much knowledge about plants.. where did you learn all this?” 

Seungmin leans back against him and places his chin on his shoulder, “The king had me go through intense study courses to prepare for my title as the prince. The classes lasted from sunrise to sunset and took about five weeks to complete.” 

“Really? God, I hope the new monarch won’t make me do such things.” 

All the while, Jeongin tunes out their conversation, staring ahead at the trees that just go on for miles and miles. The border seems to be getting closer but every time Jeongin blinks it seems to just.. slip away an inch.. gradually. 

It’s frustrating. And he’s cold. 

He has no idea how the horrible temperatures aren’t affecting Seungmin as much as they’re affecting him but he guesses it’s due to the Spring spirit living inside him. 

He’s shivering terribly, clutching onto the leather in his hands so tightly his knuckles are near white before he notices and loosens his grip a bit, watching as the blood rushes back and fills out the missing colour again. He feels himself slipping, teetering on the edge of consciousness. 

He’s near gone when there’s suddenly a bustling crowd and the laughter of children. Jeongin opens his eyes to see kids running around him, eyes crescent shaped as they smiled and chased each other. They moved through the snow with ease, and since this was an everyday thing for them, Jeongin couldn’t help his envy at how well they handled the cold temperatures. 

He looks ahead at Seungmin’s horse, and then his eyes travel upwards until they land on the intimidatingly large palace at the very top of a steep hill. It was fenced off by one of the tallest fences he’s ever seen, and it seems rather uninviting if he had to be honest. 

He’s rather shocked at how citizens don’t recognise him immediately but once they do, they bow deeply and wait until he’s gone to stand upright again and go back to what they were doing. 

If it wasn’t so cold, then perhaps Jeongin would show some form of respect in reciprocation but he was  _ freezing  _ and he needed to get somewhere warm quickly before he flops onto the snow covered ground and gives up. 

The road ahead clears and suddenly the horses run faster than before towards the palace, whizzing past any bystander and not giving them enough time to glimpse nor bow at the king. 

The horses come to a halt at the gates, and Jeongin glances at the guards standing right at either side of the large metal wall. One of the guards walks up to him and asks, “Business?” 

“Spring spirit seeking the Winter spirit. I suggest you don’t question me any further because one, I’m  _ cold _ and two, it’s rather rude, isn’t it?” 

“O-Of course, your majesty. Right this way.” The guard steps aside and the gates open, letting in both horses and the three individuals on them. 

Gathering all the strength left in him, Jeongin forces his horse to go faster than last time, Seungmin’s own following suit as they climb the hill in record time. 

Snow is shoved behind their hooves as they move, flying into the air and falling back into the ground as if it’s heavier than it should be. The crunching of the snow underneath them becomes louder and louder with every ascending step, getting them closer to the roundabout at the top by the second. 

The trail is rather smooth, due to no one having left the castle in years, so it’s a fair ride up to the top. 

The horses reach the roundabout and immediately stop, snorting and shaking their heads from the trek they just took. 

Jeongin hops off his horse, adjusting himself and stumbling only a few feet before collapsing. Seungmin gasps and is at his side at once, holding him by the waste and asking, “Are you alright? What’s going on?” 

The king can only lift his hand to show frosted fingers before letting it fall loosely at his side and slowly closing his eyes. 

His body is on fire, but he couldn’t stop himself from filling up his lungs with cold air on every inhale and having that air circulating through his bloodstream. He felt far worse than cold; he’s literally freezing right before Seungmin’s poor eyes. 

The last thing he remembers is a pounding on the dark oak doors and Seungmin yelling for help as his breathing slows down drastically. 

Then, nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not seungbin already falling in love lol


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> consciousness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go

When Jeongin comes to, he’s in a dimly lit room with a blazing fire roaring at his far right corner. He notes that he’s absolutely covered in thick blankets, and faintly registers the fact that he’s not only warm enough now, but that he’s also a bit  _ too  _ warm for comfort. 

He grabs the edges of the blankets and tosses them to the side, feeling immediately better with the loss of unneeded heat being stripped away. 

Tossing his legs over the edge of the very comfortable bed, Jeongin looks up and scans around the room, eyes darting from corner to corner to take in the elegant decor. 

The area was filled in dark colours with blue and white accents, very much reflecting the appropriate amount of Winter spirituality without entirely overdoing it. The walls were of high heights, reaching upwards and meeting at the middle where a chandelier hung brightly. 

The architecture was very much gothic and baroque, but not to the extent where it appears that it comes straight out of a classic vampire tale — the type a grandfather would tell to his bratty grandchildren whilst they huddled over a roaring fire, darkness surrounding them. 

Jeongin takes a step forward, heel clicking against the wooden floor of the bedroom. It catches him by surprise, but he then remembers that the same occurs in his own castle, so the clicking is a familiar sound. He shakes himself off and strolls over to the bookshelf right by the fireplace, reaching out to touch all the books laid out. 

He drags the tips of his fingers across each and every spine, enjoying the way the smooth leather of the covers brushed against the pads of his fingertips. Each book is particularly dusty so when he lifts his hand, he can see an extremely visible accumulation of dust and dirt right on the pads. 

He blows, sending the particles of dust and dirt flying. 

“Ah, I see his majesty has awakened.” A deep voice says from behind him, and Jeongin turns on the spot to find a thin, white haired man standing straight and proud. The individual steps forward and looks around the room, “I was told you’d be on the fourth floor — but I didn’t know that you’d be in my former living quarters.” 

Jeongin can only stare as the other gets closer and closer, looking at him with a rather neutral gaze and eyes that glitter in the low firelight. The other stops right as Jeongin tilts his head to the right and looks at him up and down, trying to get a good glimpse at him. 

He has a navy blue suit with gold buttons lining up the torso on. Secured to his left breast are a handful of medals and pins — so Jeongin could guess that he most likely was or is a guard. But then, his hair is so, so white and he seems so  _ small  _ to be a guard so Jeongin stands conflicted. 

“You’re younger than me, aren’t you?” is all the other says, and Jeongin nods feebly, still trying to figure out who the man in front of him is. 

“Oh, right. I’m the Winter spirit! Sorry I totally forgot to tell you that, haha.” 

Jeongin’s jaw nearly drops open but he remembers to be classy and forces his mouth to remain shut, biting on the inside of his cheek to avoid any mishaps. Instead, he bows slightly and then stands right back up, “Your majesty.” 

The other monarch waves his hand nonchalantly, almost as if he didn’t want to be called such a title. As he waved, Jeongin couldn’t help but notice his small hands and suppressed a scoff at them. Honestly, they fit him because of his small stature and frame, so he wasn’t the least bit surprised, just amused. 

“Call me Felix. Well, Felix  _ hyung _ obviously.” 

Jeongin raises an eyebrow at the last bit, “We’re not even close.” 

Felix circles him and stops right in front of the bookshelf, “Whatever. Anyway, what brings the Spring spirit to my kingdom?” 

“You’ve adjusted quickly.” 

“I’ve technically been in charge of the kingdom ever since the queen first fell ill so I’m used to this. I didn’t expect to be the spirit, however.” 

“Oh right. Your awakening froze all the surrounding kingdoms.” Jeongin says this in a hushed voice, tearing his eyes away from Felix to look at a portrait hanging over the fireplace, “Your spirit killed my children.” 

This makes Felix do a double take, “Children?” 

With a scoff, Jeongin gets down on one knee and extends his palm down, resting his forearm on his knee. Without saying a word, a poinsettia grows from the centre and blossoms out beautifully under the orange hue of the firelight. 

He takes a moment to admire the beauty before stepping away from the fire and getting back on both feet. As he does so, the poinsettia begins to droop and wither away, striking slight pain in Jeongin’s heart. 

He tears his eyes away from the dying flower to look at Felix, who’s torn between looking at the flower and Jeongin but eventually settles on the latter as the flower fades into nothingness, dead. 

“I’m sorry.” is all that he says. 

Sighing, Jeongin lowers his hand and looks away, eyes closing momentarily to steady himself. Felix is silent, unable to find any words to help with what Jeongin was feeling. 

Upon opening his eyes, Jeongin gently sits down at the edge of the loveseat situated right in front of the fire, hands on his lap and eyes now focused on the flames as they licked at the brick confining them. The Winter monarch sits at one of the armchairs, leaning forward and hugging himself with a blank expression. 

There’s a pregnant silence, save for the cracking of the firewood that burns passionately. 

Jeongin breaks the silence first, “I’ve come here to help you adjust to your spiritual powers.” Felix doesn’t look at him, but his blank expression turns into one of questioning, “How?” 

“Courtship. You are to court me just like how the Autumn spirit did with the Summer spirit; the older individual courts the younger.” Jeongin bites his lip, looking down at the carpet covering this specific section of floor, “The untamed spirit must be tamed through fulfilment of relationship with the younger, tamed spirit.” 

“So you’re saying that I must fall in love with you?” 

“And I must fall in love with you.” 

Jeongin doesn’t miss the quick upturn of the corner of Felix’s lips or the way his eyes sparkle in the firelight. He doesn’t miss the way he stares at the younger, looking at him as though he’s just a challenge for him. 


	6. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> how did felix become king?

“There you are!” Seungmin happily cries out when Jeongin appears in the sitting room, Felix coming in behind him just a couple seconds after. Taking a look around the spacious room, Jeongin guesses that they have taken Changbin to begin to ascend to his role as prince. 

Seungmin quickly hugs Jeongin and pulls away, “You look  _ so  _ much better than when we arrived.” 

They go to sit at the sofa, and that’s when Seungmin continues, “You were out for almost a week! I thought you  _ died  _ and left me alone in this place. I’m not ready to be king yet, Jeongin ah!” 

Jeongin looks around and laughs breathily, “Don’t worry about that. But now that we’re back together I have something to discuss with you.” 

“Which is?” 

“King Felix here agreed to the courtship plan.” Jeongin ignores the way his face begins to burn at the mention of courtship and instead clears his throat, “Obviously I’m not asking for your blessing or anything such but I’m just telling you so you can send word back to Chan hyung and Minho hyung.” 

Seungmin doesn’t have time to respond before Jeongin turns to Felix and jabs a finger right in the centre of his chest, “And you. We are running on limited time here. Your spirit is freezing every surrounding kingdom and sending all of us into an eternal winter.” 

Felix’s eyes shine brightly as he grabs Jeongin’s hand and brings his knuckles up to his lips, pressing a kiss to them, “No need to worry about that, my king.” 

Behind them, Seungmin gags and stands up, “Well I’m gonna go check on Changbin hyung and help him out with his princely duties. Don’t do anything funny whilst I’m gone.” 

“We barely met!” 

Seungmin rolls his eyes, tossing the pillow he was holding back on the sofa, “Duh. But Felix hyung is already flirting with you, so it’s only a matter of time before you do something funny.” 

As Seungmin leaves, Jeongin looks down at his and Felix’s joined hands. 

He’s scared of love. Terrified, even. 

But he must go through with the courtship, for the sake of his people and for the others. He was entirely foreign to the concept of love, never having once experienced it, and it felt so strange to have someone just flirt with him on the spot. He figures he’ll get used to it as time passes, and that it’s just an initial reaction after being touch starved for so many years. 

He doesn’t know how long he’ll last before he gives in, though. 

* * *

Jeongin stares at himself in the mirror, staring at the robes Felix had given for him to dress into. They were extremely comfortable, but made of a thin material that flowed with his every movement. It made him feel more magical than usual, but he had no idea how he wasn’t  _ freezing  _ with how thin the fabric was. 

The robes were white, perfect for the Winter and perfect for whatever Felix was hinting at because the robes he gave Jeongin were not exactly ones you’d give to a stranger. They were sure to be crazy expensive, possibly worth more than the robes Jeongin had worn during the trip over, and Jeongin knew this was on purpose. 

“Good God…” Jeongin mutters to himself as he sees the cape that attaches itself to his shoulders, watching as it covered his body at the sides and just barely avoided touching the floor. It’s made of silk, thick and the complete opposite of what the robes were, and surely expensive as well. 

The robes add more weight to his own shoulders, sinking him lower into the pressures of fixing the other three kingdoms. 

He takes a closer look at his face, poking at his honey skin and running a hand through his hair, pouting as it flopped back over his eyes and forehead before pushing it out of the way and leaning back to look at himself once again. 

“Jeongin ah, you’ve been staring at yourself for a while.” Felix’s bored voice comes closer as the Winter monarch steps forward, twirling an icicle between his slender fingers as if it were a pencil. Jeongin sighs through his nose and turns around, feeling the robes twirling around his legs. 

“It’s like I’m wearing a dress.” 

“Well, your majesty, we have to dress warm here.” 

Jeongin huffs but before he could say anything Felix continues, taking a bite out of the icicle, “You look stunning in white, though.” 

This takes Jeongin by surprise, and he blinks a couple times before coming back to reality and shaking his head, “Not even a day have I been conscious and you’ve already flirted with me countless times.. at this rate you’ll be fully tamed by the end of the month.” 

Felix quirks an eyebrow, smirking and walking closer to the younger king, “With you being so unexpectedly gorgeous I’m only going to need two weeks.” 

“Two weeks? Wait —  _ unexpectedly _ ? Wait, what?” 

Felix takes another bite of the icicle, “See? I’ve made you flustered. I think I’m going to be fine.” 

“You said unexpectedly gorgeous! Did you think I was gonna be some sort of hideous troll?” Jeongin is obviously rather offended, but his hurried voice can only make Felix laugh at his ridiculousness. He shoves the rest of the icicle into his mouth and as he chews, he reaches to adjust the younger’s cape. 

“No, Jeongin ah. I’ve just never seen anyone as beautiful as you around here.” Felix calmly explains as he moves the collar of the cape around, buttoning it up in a more neat manner than how Jeongin had it. 

There’s a pink flush on Jeongin’s face when he looks up and Felix smiles. He cocks an eyebrow, tilting his head to the left and goes, “Now, shall we have dinner?” 

* * *

  
Dinner is grand. 

There are dozens of plates — all filled to the top with different foods — assorted all over the large table in the dining hall. There are two chairs only at either end of the table, one for the Spring spirit and the other for the Winter spirit. The taller one seemed to be for Felix, so Jeongin went to the smaller seat and stood behind it as Felix made his way over to his own chair. 

Jeongin eyes the wine sitting at his left side, and he blinks; the wine quickly turns clear and into water. 

A chandelier hangs low, casting a soft yellow light over the two occupants of the room. There is a crackling fire right over at their left side, giving the room much needed warmth if Jeongin was to stay there for at least a couple hours. He hopes the dinner doesn’t drag on, but from what he’s experienced he knows that simply won’t be possible. 

Felix makes it to his chair and Jeongin bows slightly and then sits down and makes himself comfortable. Felix lifts his head, giving Jeongin a quick stare before waving his hand over the table and sending the plates off to give each person a portion of each dish that’s laid out. It’s silent as the magic does its work, and Jeongin keeps himself from flinching when a turkey leg hits his plate. 

At least it wasn’t pasta. 

Felix grimaces when his own turkey leg hits his plate, “Sorry about the dishes being so brute.. I still haven’t used my magic that much.” 

A large glob of mashed potatoes lands on Jeongin’s plate with a  _ smack!  _ and he looks from the potatoes to Felix, who’s staring at his own mashed potatoes with a passive expression. 

“I usually have servants serving Seungmin hyung and I so you’re fine.” Jeongin waves his hand nonchalantly, small smile on his face as the last of the dishes reveals an entire corn and gently lets it down onto the plate. A gravy boat appears right by Jeongin’s left hand and he grabs it, tilting it so that the warm substance falls over the mashed potatoes. 

“You seem to enjoy this sort of food,” Jeongin softly says to Felix, who’s poking his corn. 

The Winter king looks up, shifting in his seat, “Oh yeah, it’s been a long time since I’ve had something like what my neighbors used to cook.” 

“You were a village boy?” 

“I lived in the village up until I was sixteen. I became the former queen’s guard up until her death, and I never knew that I was her heir. When she died…” Felix trails off, looking down at his food with a fixated stare. 

Jeongin tilts his head, eyes turning soft, “What happened?” His voice is soft as to not push the older over his limit, and it seems to work because Felix inhales and continues. 

“I was with her when she died. I was the only one with her. She had no family, just me; because of that I’d jokingly call her ‘mother’ and she’d always call me her son instead of her guard, We had a mother-son type relationship and when she was on her deathbed she called me her boy and…” 

_ “My boy,” the queen whispers, extending her hand out for Felix to take it. The guard stifled a sob, brown hair falling over his eyes as he knelt over her bedside. He pushes his hair out of the way to clearly look at his queen, grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze to tell her that he was here, and that he wouldn’t be leaving her side.  _

_ “My son, my lovely boy, forgive me.” She says, tears of her own slipping from her eyes.  _

_ “For what? What do I need to forgive you for?” Felix whispers, lips trembling as unrushed tears pool at his lash line.  _

_ The queen sobs softly, looking away and up at a ceiling. She doesn’t say anything else, and Felix doesn’t press on.  _

_ When she fades away, a blue light surges and runs through her body all the way over to their joined hands, where it forces itself into Felix’s body and surrounds him with freezing temperatures — except he was the only one freezing. The young guard glows blue, and he falls backwards with a silent gasp.  _

_ He can barely lift his head in time to see the queen’s bright, white hair slowly go back to the midnight black it once was before she became queen. Her skin goes from pale to tan, and that’s when Felix looks down at his own hands and freezes when he sees his own skin go pale.  _

_ The blue slowly fades, and he makes his way over to the mirror, nearly falling over when he sees that his own hair has gone from its dark brown to an even brighter white. He leans forward, almost pressed up against the mirror as he examines himself to see if anything else has changed.  _

_ He looks at his teeth, eyes widening when he discovers that his canines had gone from blunt to fangs, small in size but sharp.  _

_ Felix looks back at the queen’s lifeless body and rushes over, coming to a stop right next to her and softly asking, “Why?”  _

_ The queen doesn’t answer. Of course she doesn’t, she’s dead.  _

_ Felix feels himself go weak, knees buckling and nearly collapsing but he wills himself to stand upright and doesn’t stop himself from crying over her dead body.  _

_ “I won’t disappoint you.”  _

_ The last thing he remembers is him falling forwards, landing against the bed, and the dead, cold hand of his queen.  _

_ Then, black.  _

“I blacked out a guard and woke up a king.” Felix says in his deep voice, taking a measured bite of his potatoes, “I isolated myself, not knowing what to do and I guess my stress is what released this eternal winter that’s not only affecting my kingdom, but the other three as well.” 

Jeongin nods, food long forgotten as he listens to Felix tell his story. 

“Then, I received words a couple days later that you’d be coming. I had a rushed coronation, one without a prince or anything of the sort. Just me, alone within the chapel. I had the royal guards go and search for the Winter prince and it came up to no avail. That is, until you came and Changbin hyung introduced himself as the prince. 

“I was doubtful until Prince Seungmin vouched for him and confirmed that hyung was indeed the prince. Then I ordered for you to be taken to my former bedroom — yes I know I said that I didn’t expect for you to be in my former living quarters but I only said that to seem less like a creep. I knew that I had set off a horrible winter all over the land but I didn’t know that my winter would affect your kingdom or the other ones so terribly. When you showed me your flower die right before my eyes, that’s when I understood the extent of my damage.” 

The Spring spirit remains silent, looking from Felix to the chandelier above them both. It seems to be brighter now, and it has Jeongin wondering if there’s magic infused there as well. Then, his entire body stiffens as he comes up with an idea. 

He gets up, placing his hands down on the table and leaning forward to look at Felix directly in the eye, “Follow me.” 

There is no room for argument as he shoves his chair entirely out of his path and makes his way out of the dining hall and into the wide hallways of the palace. 


	7. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> duelling and angst

“We are going to duel.” Jeongin says as if it was the most simple thing in the world. 

Felix takes a look at their surroundings, seeing nothing in the empty ballroom that has never been used. There was no protection, no magic — nothing. He looks back at Jeongin, who’s just standing with his arms crossed across his chest in an expectant stance. He seems serious, so Felix scoffs and brushes off invisible lint from his suit. 

“How are we to duel when I’m inexperienced and you’re not?” 

“Deal with it.” 

That’s all Jeongin says before a vine shoots out from his palm and coils itself around Felix’s ankle. The Winter king doesn’t have time to react as Jeongin yanks his arm back with unimaginable strength and sends Felix flying, landing flat on his back with a thud. 

There’s another vine wrapping itself around Felix’s wrist and he’s suddenly being lifted into the air, held up by his arm and leg almost effortlessly. With gritted teeth, he looks from where the vines are wrapped around his ankle and wrist respectively to Jeongin, eyes widening upon seeing that the younger had an inappropriately passive expression on his face. 

Jeongin shakes his head clicking his tongue with disappointment, “These are my weakest vines and you’re utterly _helpless_ against them — how pathetic!” 

He shoots more vines and lets go of Felix with the ones that had a hold on him, leaving him floating in midair as the newer vines came and wrapped themselves on the opposite limbs. It’s as if Jeongin was juggling the other monarch, smirking in delight as Felix couldn’t help but yelp in fright. 

Suddenly, the vines retract and Felix falls to the ground, landing on his side and thankfully his head doesn’t make contact with the floor, but his shoulder aches now. Jeongin approaches him, nudging him onto his back with his foot and staring him down, “Humiliating.” 

Felix gets up, looking at Jeongin with a slight glare, “I do have fighting skills — just not with these damned powers!” 

Jeongin scoffs, rolling his eyes and taking a couple steps back, “Well then use your combat skills on me.” 

That’s when Felix jumps and does a flip midair, legs spreading and angling themselves towards Jeongin as he comes closer and closer to the younger. He manages to wrap his legs around Jeongin’s neck, anchoring himself but the Spring monarch closes his eyes and suddenly he’s gone from Felix’s grasp and at least 50 feet away at the end of the ballroom. 

Felix lands on his feet, stumbling a bit but he catches himself and looks from where Jeongin once stood to where he stands now, eyes wide and confused. 

“How the hell do you have teleportation?” Felix is nearly breathless, not having had to exert his body this much in years, and the smirk on Jeongin’s face does nothing to ease his embarrassment. 

The smirk doesn’t cease as Jeongin furrows his eyebrows in amusement, “I don’t think I’ll tell you the answer to that one. However, I do think that it is rather hilarious to see a former head guard be this pathetic against a king who hasn’t had any training in combat whatsoever. It’s already enough that you don’t have _any_ control of your powers but to also be trained with some of the most powerful fighters and still be this useless in a friendly fight against me is concerning.” 

Felix growls low at the back of his throat, obviously annoyed at the lack of respect, “Didn’t your mother teach you politeness?” 

Jeongin visibly flinches, falling off his high horse and getting sent to the marbled floor as quickly as he climbed the horse. He shifts over to where Felix is and grabs him by the collar, easily towering over him and whispering, “ _Don’t_ speak on my mother.” 

He lets go of Felix and immediately shoots out multiple vines, but Felix retaliates and produces a sword made of ice, lifting it up and slicing the vines as soon as they enter his proximity. Jeongin gasps at the sudden retaliation and falters a bit, but then he shakes himself out of his shock and sends Holly leaves towards Felix at high speeds. 

Felix swings the sword around, listening to the sounds of the vines and leaves decaying right before him as Jeongin sends more and more, one after the other. 

The older man abandons the sword for multiple icicles which are aimed towards Jeongin. In defence, the younger sprouts an entire tree right in the middle of the ballroom, breaking the floor as it erupts right from the ground underneath. The trunk absorbs the icicles and rebounds them back to Felix, who dissolves them with a wave of his hand. 

The tree then explodes, sending both kings flying backwards and onto their backs. They land on opposite sides of the ballroom, right onto the floor with two large thuds. Luckily, there isn’t any damage to the ballroom, and Felix feels well, but the same cannot be said for Jeongin. 

Felix lifts his head up and freezes upon seeing Jeongin on the ground, laying on his side and blankly staring at the marbled floor. 

Except, there’s a pool of tears seeping from his eyes and falling onto the floor, gathering in a small puddle. It’s a sight Felix didn’t expect to see, and he doesn’t know what to do as Jeongin curls in on himself and silently cries. He’s lost on what to do, but before he can say anything or even open his mouth, Jeongin is speaking. 

“My mother died before I became crown prince. She was my light, she was the reason why I even persevered for so long. Y’know, my mother was born here, and she’d always tell us these wonderful stories of how she and her sisters would decorate the house in lovely flora for the holidays.” 

Felix inches closer, careful to not cause any issues, and tilts his head to tell Jeongin that he’s listening to what he’s saying. 

“She had beautiful white hair but she always dyed it black.. I have no idea why.” He hiccups, inhaling deeply and shakily as he continues, “White hair is rare here, you know? I don’t understand why she would try to hide such a beautiful thing from the world.” 

Felix licks his lips, searching around for an answer to Jeongin’s impossible questions but nothing comes up, “What happened to her?” 

“The war. She.. died trying to save other lives.” 

“I’m so sorry.” 

“She sacrificed herself for my brothers and I. She sacrificed her life for those she loved the most in this world. My mother taught me right from wrong, she was my teacher in life and because of her I’m the man I am today. If it wasn’t for her I don’t know where I’d be.” 

Jeongin then blinks twice, letting more tears fall from his eyes, “I love her so much, and I feel so much anger towards this godforsaken kingdom for making her miserable and for killing her.” 

Felix feels a shiver run down his spine but he ignores it. Instead, he looks at the remnants of the tree and softly says, “Jeongin ah, look. “ 

Jeongin shakily inhales when he looks to where Felix is pointing at, tears only coming down harder as he looks at the holly branches extending from the remains, blooming into beautiful patterns of green and red. Felix gently helps him in sitting up and grabs his hand, squeezing it. 

“Your mother is here.” Felix says, and it’s obvious that he’s talking about the holly branches. They’re stunning, filling the atmosphere with a feeling that Jeongin hasn’t felt in years and _years._

_“Mommy, why do you like the red things so much?”_

_Jeongin’s mother looks down at the small boy, smiling widely as she accepts the tiny branch from his delicate hands. She reaches up and tucks it behind her ear, standing out amazingly against her hair._

_“They remind me of my own mother, love. Oh how she loved holly berries.. sometimes she’d make my sisters and I go outside for holly when it was the crack of dawn! Of course, it was fun but it was so cold…”_

_Jeongin giggles, hoping excitedly where he stood and grabbing his mother’s hand, “Can we go look for the berries? I wanna go look for berries!”_

_She giggles._

Jeongin can still hear her giggle as if she was right next to him, and his eyes sparkle with adoration. He lets Felix take him into his arms, holding him tightly and soothingly rubbing his arm. 

He’s warm. 


	8. eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a small update

“I’m sorry for bringing up your mother,” Felix says quietly. They’re now walking in the forest right next to the palace, arms linked together so that Jeongin doesn’t get lost in the vast space of trees and snow. Together, they’re warm and it's almost comforting to be so close to each other. 

Jeongin sighs, breath vaporising as soon as it hits the icy air, “It’s alright. I shouldn’t have let my emotions get the best of me.” He lets out a chuckle, but there’s no mirth behind it, “What a display for a king.”

Felix shakes his head, “Hey, your feelings are valid. I now know how important your mother is to you, and you had every right to be angry with me. Showing your love for your mother doesn’t make you less a king, okay?” 

The snow crunches under their footsteps, and their pace is slightly slow due to Jeongin’s inexperience with walking in snow, but the atmosphere is peaceful nevertheless. 

Jeongin looks to the side, watching as a snowshoe hare hopped over to the underbrush of a large tree. It runs into it when it spots the two kings coming closer and Jeongin stares into its black eyes as he and Felix walk past. The hare stares back, before going to itch itself. 

The animals of Winter are stunning, as equally as the animals of Spring. The wildlife is enjoyable to Jeongin; peaceful and lovely. 

How could his mother be miserable in such a beautiful place? Well, perhaps her life was terribly different than the one Jeongin currently led. 

It’s a mystery, no doubt. 

Felix glances over at Jeongin and clears his throat, “If you don’t mind me asking, how is the spring kingdom like?” 

Jeongin sighs as he listens to the question, smile slowly appearing on his face and he leans closer to Felix, party for warmth and partly because he just felt the need to be close. He thinks back to his beautiful kingdom, mind going through memories of festivals, balls, and simple everyday experiences that are unique to his kingdom. 

“I love it.” He softly replies, “We have gorgeous festivals every spring solstice where we just dance and eat amazing food and watch all the flora begin to bloom. My people — they all wear traditional clothing made from their family flowers, and I wear a gown made of a petal from every familial flower in the kingdom.” 

“Family flowers?” 

Jeongin nods, “Every family in the kingdom has a specific flower for which they are to treat like a crest. When I was a civilian my flower was a poinsettia, partially because of my mother being from your kingdom.” 

Felix seems in awe, eyes wide as he takes in the information, “I want to experience one of your solstices…” 

The younger king stops in his tracks, forcing Felix to halt as well and he gives him a confused look, one that is reciprocated with a gentle smile and near crescent eyes. It’s a smile that makes Felix blush lightly, not used to such expressions aimed towards him. 

His breath hitches as the other man leans toward and presses a kiss to his cheek, giggling as he pulls away and says, “I’d love to be there for your first solstice.” 

He feels warmer inside. 

* * *

  
“I say, you’re making amazing progress in your princely lessons, Changbin hyung.” Seungmin says as he enters the study, closing the door behind him and locking it. He finds the Winter prince sitting right in front of the roaring fireplace and goes to sit on an armchair right next to the large sofa, crossing his legs together. 

Changbin laughs, but it sounds more like a scoff, “When you're forced through twelve hours of lessons, you catch on quickly.” 

Seungmin chuckles softly, eyes focused on the fire. 

He thinks back to when he first met the shorter man, and how he’s come such a long way. But, there is one thing that has been plaguing his mind since they first met. It was something Changbin had told him immediately after getting a glimpse of the Spring prince. 

Looking right at Changbin, Seungmin asks, “Did you mean it?” 

Changbin immediately looks at him, eyes confused but sparkling nonetheless as he looks at the Spring prince. There’s a slight smile on his face but Seungmin doesn’t know if it’s from confusion or from the near comical position they both were in at the moment. 

“Mean what?” 

“That I’m pretty.” 

There’s silence, and Changbin looks back at the fire, leaning forward and placing his arms in his knees. A laugh escapes past his lips and Seungmin feels like sinking into the ground. 

That is, until Changbin speaks. 

“Pretty is an understatement.” He turns towards Seungmin and looks him up and down, “You’re stunning. Breathtaking. Gorgeous. You’re more than pretty, Seungmin.” 

His words have an intense blush creeping up Seungmin’s face. He tries to hide his blush by turning his head up to the ceiling but Changbin stands up, walking over to him and grabbing his chin between his thumb and pointer finger, tilting his head down. There are tears gathered at Seungmin’s lash line, and Changbin shows a bit of worry. 

“Why are you crying?” 

Seungmin blinks twice, letting the tears run loose and down his face. His lips tremble with every shaky breath, but the smile that slowly begins to form contradicts his current state. He cries silently, completely at Changbin’s mercy. 

“It’s just that.. no one has ever told me such things before.” 

Changbin sighs deeply, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to Seungmin’s forehead, “Well I mean it all. You’re so, so beautiful, Seungmin ah, and I’ll tell you every damn day that you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met until you grow an impossibly large ego from my words.” 

The younger laughs through his tears, shaking his head in disbelief and reaching up to rub his wet eyes, “Please don’t grow my ego.” 

Instead of answering, Changbin connects their lips together for a loving kiss. Seungmin squeaks in surprise but soon reciprocates the gesture, eyes closing and mouth automatically moving against Changbin’s own. 

_Good thing the door is locked._

* * *

“Love, the frost is thinning.” Chan softly says as he looks out the window, frost glinting under the moonlight. From his bed, Minho hums and turns the page of his book, “Looks like Jeongin is doing what is right.” 

“I wonder what the new monarch looks like.” Chan muses, removing himself from the window and going to sit at the edge of the bed, pressing a kiss to Minho’s temple. The younger lets out a noise of appreciation and kisses his neck, leaning into his shoulder and closing his book, placing it on his lap. 

“I wonder, too, but what is important at the moment is that Jeongin ah does what is necessary to save our kingdoms.” 

“Hopefully everything will turn out fine.” 

“We are not in control of that,” Minho replies, “But one can only hope.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/hyunlovs)


	9. nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more duelling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year :)

“Has anyone ever told you that you look stunning in a tailored suit?” 

Jeongin pauses, looking up from his book to Felix who’s sitting right across from him. He’s silent for a moment before looking back at the page he’s currently reading and shaking his head slowly, “Usually Seungmin hyung says I look decent, nothing more.” 

It’s been about two weeks since Jeongin first came to the Winter Kingdom and during that time he’d always worn robes that were flared out at the bottom, making them seem like dresses. Not that there was anything wrong with wearing dresses, but Jeongin felt as if they didn’t fit him at all. 

He endured the robes for some days before finally going up to Felix and asking if he could switch to suits, a request that the Winter monarch happily agreed to and immediately sent off to the seamstress department. Chenle, Felix’s advisor, had said that whilst the request was so sudden, the seamstresses had no issue with getting busy. 

The suits had come rather quickly and if Jeongin had to be honest, he was rather happy to change out of the bulky robes and back into what he was used to. 

He had given Felix a little impromptu fashion show, threatening to shoot blunt thorns at him when he began to whistle obnoxiously loud. In fact, he was so loud that Chenle had come running in, asking if there was an emergency, only to roll his eyes and smile when seeing that the two monarchs were enjoying their time together. 

Felix blinks twice, looking from Jeongin right at the fire, “Well, that is rather unfortunate. I think someone like you should hear how amazing you look every second of the day.” 

“That’d inflate my ego.” 

“I’m surprised you don’t have one because if I was you I’d definitely have one.” 

“Oh.” Jeongin adjusts the sleeves of his black suit and bites his lip, “Anyway, do you think you’re up for more duelling?” 

“You seem to have quite the ego when we duel, Jeongin ah.” 

Rolling his eyes, Jeongin leans forward and rests his head on his hands. He gives Felix a look, one that the older cannot read at all, but he doesn’t mind the added mystery to what the younger monarch is thinking off at the moment. 

“That’s because I know I’m a much better fighter than you, your Majesty.” His voice comes out as a whisper, barely picked up by Felix’s ears and he nearly has to strain to be able to hear the other speak. It was quite common for Jeongin to be so soft spoken around him, never really raising his voice nor creating much of a havoc around the palace. Felix enjoyed that part of Jeongin very much, and the younger knew it. 

“So you are,” Felix sighs, “Fine, let’s go to the ballroom, shall we?” 

He doesn’t miss the smirk that flashes across Jeongin’s face for a split second. 

_ He definitely has a bit of an ego, _ Felix concludes as he walks behind Jeongin, watching as he holds his head high and proud, gracefully planning out each step before taking it.  _ But I cannot blame him.  _

* * *

Alright, training with Jeongin was  _ difficult.  _

“Jump up! Up! How else are you supposed to surprise the enemy if you don’t come unexpectedly?” Jeongin shouts as he himself jumps back and narrowly escapes being crashed into by Felix. Vines shoot from his hands to grab the older man, steadying him on the ground. 

He’s always so assertive when it came to training, and whilst Felix respects that he cannot handle the idea of ever being as harsh as the younger is when it came to motivating. 

“Can you let me go? I think there’s some thorns.” 

The vines retract as Jeongin sighs, “What did they teach you about fighting? Because to be frank it all seems rather pointless.” 

Taking a step back, Felix shrugs and cracks his neck, “The man that taught me combat skills was an old man who’d been head guard for the past monarchs for so long. I guess his fighting technique was out of style.” 

He’d actually been head guard for two centuries so yeah, he was  _ old.  _

Jeongin stares in mild disbelief before taking a small step forward; which knocks Felix off his feet and flying onto his back, landing with a wheeze. Meanwhile, Jeongin stands unaffected and as stoic as can be. 

“What the hell —?” 

“Magic has improved throughout the years! Your kingdom has been in isolation since the Great War so you never got to experience what has become of elemental magic since then! Look — I literally moved the Earth with my foot; something that I  _ know  _ the previous monarch wasn’t able to do but I am able to do due to the evolution of magic.” 

Felix sits up, crossing his legs, “How am I supposed to find out more about my own magic?” 

“You’re not. You’re supposed to already know your capabilities and execute those together to unlock more of your magical core. You’ve only been able to master such a small amount of your ice core that you can’t possibly move on to incredibly bigger things at this moment. If anything, I need for you to practise by yourself any time you can. Any time you have free time, take that and use it to enhance your skills.” 

Jeongin takes a step forward and lifts Felix up with nonverbal magic, settling him on his feet and giving him a pointed stare, “Here, concentrate all your cold onto your left leg and then stomp  _ harshly  _ on the ground.” 

Felix does as he’s told, moving all of his cold energy into his left leg, letting it swirl and grow in the silence between him and Jeongin. He feels the remnants of his energy seep into his foot and circulate through his toes, and he suddenly lifts his foot up and sends it to the ground with thunderous force. 

The effect is immediate. A pillar of ice, jagged and sharp, shoots out from the place of impact and extends outwards until it nearly touches the chandelier right at the centre of the ballroom. 

Cold air surrounds them both as Jeongin looks from the pillar to Felix, who can’t believe he just made that come out. 

Jeongin stomps his own foot, watching as his own jagged pillar of rock shoots out from the side of the place of impact, letting it grow until it grazes the ceiling and then lifting his foot, placing it back next to the other one. 

The older monarch looks at the rock in awe, jaw dropping open at the sight of the sheer size and girth of the pillar, noting that there was some  _ moss  _ neatly growing on it as the after effects of Jeongin’s magic courses through the rock. 

Jeongin swipes his foot on the ground and the rock crumbles into dirt, dirtying the ballroom floor but Felix cannot be arsed to worry about it. He instead swipes his own foot on the floor and jumps back when his ice pillar disintegrates and turns to snow, falling neatly on the ground and mixing with the dirt from Jeongin. 

He looks up to find Jeongin smiling at him brightly. 

The younger claps his hands as a small gesture of applause, “Yay! You figured out how to switch elements! With a swipe of the foot, you can change the chemical makeup of the element you’re working with. The direction of the swipe tells what the element will turn into.” 

“So.. ?” 

“Swipe your foot to the right.” 

As soon as Felix does so, the snow turns into water. It mixes with the dirt at Jeongin’s left to create a bit of mud and he can’t help but feel sorry for those who have to clean the ballroom later after they’re done.

Jeongin, however, swipes his own foot to the right and the dirt turns into small rocks — pebbles if you must — and there are traces of mud that remain. 

“See? This magic stuff is easy, you just never had an appropriate teacher.” 

Scoffing, Felix swipes his foot to the left and turns the water back into snow, “I never had a teacher.” 

The smile on Jeongin’s face grows wider, and he brushes his suit off as he begins to walk forward, past Felix and towards the double doors, “That’s why I’m here.” He says cockily, winking at Felix and making a clicking sound with his tongue. He salutes him, adjusting himself one last time before opening the right door. 

Then, he’s out of the ballroom, leaving Felix alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/hyunlovs)


	10. ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the truth about jeongin’s mother

_ My dearest Chan hyung, _

_ How are you? Is everything alright over at your kingdom? How about Minho hyung — is he holding up fine?  _

_ If I have to be honest, I’m perfectly content here. It’s surprising, but Felix is so caring and he always has his heart in the right place. Though, he can be a bit stubborn at times, especially when it comes to duels, but that’s nothing he can help. His company is greatly appreciated, and I really do enjoy it.  _

_ I’m gradually falling for him, and I’m scared.  _

_ He’s undoubtedly fallen for me the very moment he laid eyes on me, but I’m terrified of harbouring feelings for him. I’ve never had any sort of experience with feelings before, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to properly execute my own before our kingdoms are permanently destroyed — stuck in their eternal wintertide for.. well.. eternity.  _

_ I hate feeling so vulnerable, but I’m so scared, hyung. I’m scared of letting someone in and then breaking my heart. It’s an irrational fear, honestly, but one cannot help the thoughts that come to him.  _

_ Nevertheless, it is my duty to save our kingdoms and to restore our respective seasons and I will fulfill that duty with my head held high. I just don’t know when I’ll be able to fulfill such a task considering how humiliating my fear of feelings is at the moment.  _

_ I apologise, but I have to go now. May your kingdom prosper and live fully.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Jeongin, Spring spirit and monarch of the Kingdom of Spring.  _

* * *

Jeongin has had this awful habit of wandering off for quite a while now, and it was just getting worse as the days pass by whilst he lives at the palace, unable to keep himself from exploring the many mysteries the old structure has to offer. 

He’s currently at the library, just barely touching any of the books readily available for him and instead going towards the back, where the older and thicker books were. Of course, they were guarded but it was nothing that he couldn’t easily bypass. 

His hands lightly touch every spine, taking in the smooth texture of the leather and collecting quite a bit of dust on the pads of his fingers. He simply brushes off the dust and pulls out a book from the utmost self right next to the oil lantern, holding it with one hand and opening the leather cover to find a surprising cover page. 

**_EXECUTIONS_ **

_ 1000-1100 _

Oh. 

He flips through the pages, finding hundreds upon hundreds of names messily written down with what seems to be a quill. Each name bears a heavy weight, the weight of a soul lost to the Winter monarchy, but Jeongin doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Executions were common within these types of governments; why would it be any different with the Winter monarchy? 

Jeongin slips the book back into its original place, exhaling through his nose and looking at all the other books. They all had the same covers, except there were different years highlighted in gold lettering which laid vertically on the spines. He walks alongside the large bookcase, scanning through the dates written on every spine. 

He doesn’t watch where he’s going, though, and he bumps into a shelf, knocking over some items and as he scrambles to fix what he’s knocked over, a gem rolls out and falls to the ground with a small sound. 

Intrigued, he kneels down and picks up the gem, putting it right up to his face for a closer look. 

The gem — it looks  _ so  _ familiar. 

The facets, the onyx colour… Jeongin quickly gets up and looks over at the items he was hastily fixing, finding a pendant with a charm that had a missing gem — the very gem he’s holding at the moment. 

He places the gem back into the charm, locking it in place and holding it close to his face again, examining it thoroughly and carefully, wondering why it looks so familiar. 

Then, he feels the gem vibrate and it turns into an opaque blue, glowing and sending warm waves throughout his body. He freezes in shock, eyes going wide and body stiffening. 

_ His mother.  _

He glances again at the necklace and feels tears gather at his lash line, vision blurring slightly. 

The necklace has a small crest engraved in it, the same crest his mother would always draw on her paper when her mind wandered off and she would think about the past. It’s exactly the same, and it sends chills down Jeongin’s spine but at the same time he questions as to why her necklace was  _ here _ and not with  _ her.  _

He gives the gem a gentle kiss, holding it close to his chest and trying his hardest to not break down into tears at the damn library. It’s difficult, though, and there’s only so much he can hold in before he lets his emotions loose. 

Then, he remembers the books. 

“Fuck,” He stands up, scanning through the hundreds of books in an attempt to locate a certain one. He passes by books dating from 1500 through 1600, pausing to look at just how  _ thick  _ the book appeared, eyes closing at the sheer thought of the many lives taken by the kingdom he’s standing foot in. 

Then, he finds the book he was looking for. 

With shaky hands, he grabs it and tugs it out, opening it and hastily flipping through each page. He doesn’t care if he rips a page, he  _ has  _ to find some sort of closure and if he risks kingdom records then so be it. 

Tears begin to fill his lash line again as he scans through each page, finding the names of extended family members and friends scribbled onto the damned paper as if it was an every day errand list. 

He then finds a name, and his heart drops into the pits of hell. 

**_EXECUTIONS_ **

_ 1900-2000 _

_ Park Hyejin — born 1876; executed 1954 _

_ Sister of the Queen, executed for treason. _

Jeongin drops the book in disbelief, staring blankly ahead with his mouth slightly open. The necklace is bitterly cold against his skin, but he can’t bring himself to care at all. Everything is coming at him at the same time and he can’t find any sort of grounding to keep himself at ease. 

His mother — his mother was the sister of the former queen… The queen willingly killed her own sister for petty reasons.  _ His aunt killed his mother.  _

A tear falls, then another, and then Jeongin lets out a shaky sob, hands scrambling for some sort of support but finding nothing and he collapses to the ground, chest heaving with each sob that leaves him. 

No one is around to hear his sobs, and for that he’s thankful. They come out in embarrassing ripples, letting the occasional hiccup spill as his hands grab the book and viciously rip out the page that had his mother listed. He doesn’t care if he breaks the spine, he can’t bring himself to care anymore. 

And so he gets up and runs. 

He runs out of the library, feet echoing loudly with each step he takes. He’s most likely alerting the staff, and he feels sorry about that, but he just wants to escape from the pain. He brings himself to look up, locking eyes with a random staff member who had poked her head out the doorway, and although Jeongin cannot properly see her through his tears, he knows her face holds a shocked expression. 

He keeps running until he makes it outside, falling into the snow and pathetically fisting his hands in it. 

Every inch of his body is trembling and he doesn’t know if it’s from the cold or from the sheer pain coursing through his body at the moment. 

Despite that, he pushes himself to stand back up and continue running. To continue running far, far away from the palace. 

Everything hurts so, so bad. His lungs, his heart, his head.   
  
He can faintly hear the staff yell for him, voices filled with alarm and concern but he can’t stop. Not for them. He couldn’t stop. 

“Jeongin ah!” 

It’s Felix. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/hyunlovs)
> 
> sorry for the short chapters recently :/


	11. eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> panic

The sounds of water rushing by do nothing to ease the inner turmoil Jeongin is facing. 

His footsteps feel heavy as he walks alongside the riverbank, arms wrapped around himself for warmth. It’s snowing a bit, the occasional flurry falling into his line of vision, and Jeongin chastises himself for being foolish enough to run into weather he knows he cannot withstand for long. 

He feels so pathetic; every inch of his body feels so dumb for letting his emotions take control of him in such a way that a king should never let happen. Then again, he’s also (partly) human, it’s normal for these instances to occur. 

His feet stop at a fallen tree, and he leans over to brush the already accumulated snow off of the bark. 

Sitting on the tree, Jeongin looks at his hands, watching them tremble. Whether it was from the cold or from his confusing emotions, Jeongin couldn’t stop shaking. He knows that if he was with Seungmin, the older would be scolding him right now, grabbing the younger by the ear and giving him an earful. 

He wishes he was getting an earful at the moment instead of sitting alone, in the cold. 

Jeongin looks ahead, eyes following the stream as it flows onward, taking ice and debris with it as it moves. 

He feels a strong shiver run up his spine and his teeth chatter,  _ why is it so damn cold?  _ Oh, he’s in the Winter kingdom. Right. 

To be honest, he misses the warmth of the palace. 

He misses Felix. 

God, he should’ve let the other man catch him instead of running faster. Running does nothing to help anymore, Jeongin’s sick of running and running must be sick of him. It does him nor his family no good.. just look at what happened to his mother. 

But even if he’s sick of it, he still cannot stop.

Sighing, Jeongin stands up from the tree and climbs over it, deciding to continue his walk to God knows where. He has no set destination, he just wants to get as far away from the palace as possible. 

He’s not sure if he will survive, but it doesn’t matter to him anymore. 

God help him. 

* * *

“What do you mean Jeongin ran away?!” Seungmin’s voice booms louder than any cannon shot Felix has ever heard in his life. It’s scary, really, but Seungmin has every right to be furious at the moment. 

The Spring prince tugs at his hair, pacing and shaking his head in harsh denial, “Why didn’t you chase after him? He knows nothing about these parts — he’ll literally  _ die! _ ” 

Felix tries to tug his hands away from his hair but the other shrugs him off and groans loudly, going to sit at the chair situated at the corner and staring into the fireplace. Next to him, Changbin places a hand between his shoulder blades and whispers gently, “Minnie, it’ll be alright, we’ll find him.” 

That’s when Felix clears his throat, catching the attention of the other two, “I’ve sent guards out to look for Jeongin. They have strict instructions to not return until they have found him in one piece. For familiarity I’ve sent Yangyang with them.” 

“So are we just meant to sit here and wait?” 

“It’s not safe for you. You must stay here, Prince Seungmin.” 

Changbin stops petting Seungmin’s hair to look at Felix properly, “What about you? Technically you could’ve caught him initially; what stopped you?” 

Felix is silent. Avoiding both pairs of eyes looking at him with confusion and fire. He sighs quietly, reaching up with his hand and rubbing at his temples with small, circular motions. 

Then, he speaks, “I was scared of what he would do to me.” 

Silence. 

“He seemed so unstable when I ran after him,” Felix begins to explain, voice soft, “I was scared that he’d lash out and do something he’d regret. He may have amazing control of his magic, but at that very moment he seemed so out of it I couldn’t help but be worried for both our safety.” 

He looks into the fire, eyebrows furrowing, “And to be honest, I’m worried for him. He’s alone in an unfamiliar place. You’re right — I should’ve chased after him even if he posed as a danger to us both. I regret not going after him and as much as it’s eating at me I can’t do anything but wait. I’ve been given orders by Chenle to stay here and it hurts me to even act as if I’m not affected because inside I’m fucking freaking out.” 

“Forgive me for asking but why did you even chase him in the first place? Why didn’t you just stay put like you are now?” 

Felix swallows, blinking twice and tearing his eyes away from the fire to look at Seungmin with a grave stare. 

“I love him,” He softly replies, eyes closing, “I love Jeongin and you have no idea how painful it is to just stand by like nothing is happening. He’s out there —  _ alone  _ — and I’m not allowed out. Do you know just how worried I am? If anything were to happen to Jeongin I don’t think I’d forgive myself.” Felix is near tears by now, staring a hole into the ground to stop himself from crying. 

There’s momentary silence, until Seungmin shifts in his seat. 

“He’s my best friend,” Seungmin suddenly mumbles, making the other two look at him, “I’ll be damned if he gets hurt. We can’t just sit around and do nothing…” 

“Love, what are you thinking?” 

“We have to look for him ourselves.” 

* * *

The damn gem is glowing green. 

Jeongin holds it in between his thumb and pointer finger, holding it extremely close to his face to get a good look at what the gem was doing. Apart from glowing a neon green, the gem also seemed to have some sort of smoke begin to swirl around inside of it. 

There’s suddenly a searing pain and Jeongin flinches, dropping the gem onto the ground and watching in awe as the heat from it melts the snow around it, showing the permafrost underneath. 

But instead of melting in a circle, the snow around the gem melted in the shape of a rhombus, and that’s when Jeongin has a eureka moment. 

He leans down, hands on his knees, and stares at the gem.

He recognises the gem as a soul stone and inwardly curses himself for not being able to tell earlier. He  _ has  _ to open the stupid rock. The smoke — or mist, rather — had valuable memories stored within, and he had to get the memories before the rock inevitably exploded into nothingness. 

But, the only way to open the stone was to replace the mist with part of his soul. The tiniest bit of his soul would suffice, but it’ll still be a painful process to recover from — due to the burns his fingers will indubitably suffer. But if it means he gets to find out what memory resides inside this stone, then so be it. 

Jeongin exhales through his nose and he takes the stone, siphoning his energy into it and ignoring the horrible burning sensation; focusing on the task at hand. His breath comes out in swirls, visible due to the cold and resembling the mist inside the stone. He takes a minute to enjoy the beauty of it all, before squeezing the stone once, twice, three times. 

There’s a woman’s scream in the distance, shrill and bloodcurdling that makes him jump and turn around but as soon as he does, he’s met with nothing. The source of the scream is nowhere to be found, and he feels his heartbeat relax slightly. 

The second he turns back around, Jeongin feels the wind pick up. Ignoring the bitterly cold wind, he looks down at the rock in his hand and rolls it around, finding that the lavender colour of his soul has completely replaced the white mist. 

His vision then blanks, and everything goes silent. 


	12. twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jinhee and hyejin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // death, blood 
> 
> hyejin and jinhee are fictional characters! i don’t write anything about death with real people. these two characters are entirely made up and are not actual living individuals in real life, thank you.

The scream is back, and it’s worse than the first time Jeongin had heard it. It’s a shrill, nearly blood freezing scream that runs through his body like a whip, making every inch of his body shiver in a horrible way. It’s a gut wrenching feeling that makes him curl over and hurl over the stone floor, but no vomit comes out. 

He grabs his stomach, shakily walking over to the nearest wall and grabbing it for support. His hands tightly grip the cold stone, knuckles nearly turning white from the hold he has on it. 

Jeongin lets out a gasp, breath vaporising from the impossibly cold air he’s surrounded in. His lungs burn with every inhale he takes and he struggles to not just fall to his knees in a very sad, very pathetic pile of flesh and bones. 

“You don’t understand, Jinhee.” An _extremely_ familiar voice echoes from where Jeongin stands. 

He grits his teeth and walks to where the voice is coming from, fingers scratching along the stone wall as he moves forward. The voice is so, so familiar that he feels strongly attracted to it — like a lost child following a parent’s voice. 

“Don’t understand what?” Another voice — Jinhee, he assumes, asks. She sounds on guard, as if expecting anything to happen at the moment. Of course, it would be foolish to _not_ be on guard, considering just how dangerous the world is. But, she sounds defensive against the other woman, which is a bit odd since they’re on first name status with each other. 

“You don’t understand why I left — you don’t understand anything at all.” 

“Anything? I understand _everything_ you have laid before me and our family, Hyejin.” 

Jeongin freezes, eyes going wide in absolute shock at what he’s just heard. And, as he rounds the corner, he slaps a covered hand over his mouth to muffle the raspy gasp that is ripped out of him. 

Standing just a few hundred metres away is his mother, hair white as snow and sword in one hand. She looks brazen but also angry, both expressions he’s never seen on her whilst she was alive. It’s scary, and what’s worse is that he doesn’t know _why_ she’s in such a state. 

His aunt slowly stands up, inching towards his mother with her back straight and nose pointed upwards, “To be frank, I don’t get why you even stepped your pathetic being into my palace.” 

“We both know who caused this war, Jinhee.” Hyejin says, grip on her sword tightening as she swallows the lump in her throat, “You and your disgusting ways.” 

“Me? _Disgusting_ ? You’re a traitor! You left your kingdom and conspired against us before this war even started! You used your intel on our kingdom to make it easier for the Spring army to make it in and destroy what was once your home, Hyejin. You and that filthy husband of yours have caused harm _everywhere_ , not just here.” 

“Do _not_ speak on my husband!” Hyejin yells, reaching for her sword but a shot of ice locks her hand in place, and she gasps as the cold takes over her skin. 

“These casualties are all yours, Hyejin. If you hadn’t betrayed your kingdom _and_ your queen, you wouldn’t be here right now. _We_ wouldn’t be having this discussion right now.” 

Hyejin backs away as Jinhee approaches her, heels clicking against the floor. Jeongin wants to intervene, but he knows they cannot see him. He’s watching a memory play out, he can’t do anything about what is to happen before his very eyes. 

Instead, he feels himself grip the wall tighter, hold now painful as he watches the queen stop just a few feet from her sister and lift her hand up. 

“Face it, sister, it’s your fault you abandoned your sons.” 

Hyejin growls but she doesn’t move, she instead breaks the ice holding her hand still and holds it up in the air, mirroring her sister. She’s silent, and Jinhee takes it as a cue to keep talking. 

“If you hadn’t gone and killed your own mother, then your sons would be with you.” 

“It wasn’t my fault.” 

“You killed mother, Hyejin.” 

“I didn’t mean to! It was all a freak accident — if I hadn’t been near the water whilst she came she would be alive and with us right now. You’re not the only one that wishes she was here with us, Jinhee. You’re not the only one that’s hurting.” 

Jinhee is as still as ever, hand still highly poised in the air and eyes as cold as ice. Jeongin wishes he could stop what’s about to happen next, but his legs won’t move. No part of his body will move. He’s forced to watch everything that goes down. 

“Mother is dead because of you. You don’t deserve to hurt.” Jinhee’s voice cracks at one point, but she maintains her stance, “You never appreciated what she gave you — what she provided for you as a mother. You hated every little effort she put towards making you happy, you ungrateful bitch. You left her to die in my arms, Hyejin! Nothing will redeem you.” 

“I’m sorry,” is all Hyejin can say, tears falling down her face rapidly. Jinhee lowers her hand. 

That’s when Jeongin closes his eyes, breath hitching as he hears a sword quickly unsheathe and in one swift motion, the sound of flesh being stabbed into makes its way into his ears. He flinches, unable to move. 

There’s a soft gasp, and then the dripping of blood which splatters onto the floor. 

Hyejin falls to the floor, sword slipping from her abdomen as she looks up to the sky with a sad smile on her face, “Ah, Jinhee, as passionate as ever.” 

The queen falls to her knees, brushing Hyejin’s hair out of her face and tossing the sword aside. There’s a faint smile on her own face, one that isn’t picked up by Hyejin. She doesn’t seem rather affected by the fact that she has just stabbed her sister, but is rather calm as Hyejin bleeds out on the floor. 

Hyejin blinks slowly, “I can see my boys. They look so sad.” Her own voice breaks this time, tears continuing to slip out of her eyes. 

She turns to face her sister, “It’s my fault, isn’t it?” 

“Entirely.” 

“Oh.” Hyejin wheezes, hand coming to cover her wound, “Hey, Jinhee?” 

Jinhee stops stroking her hair, confused, “Hm?” 

Hyejin drops a stone, green and filled with a misty substance. Jinhee picks it up and looks at it for a brief second before looking back at her sister. Her eyes widen once she sees the blood coming out of her mouth now, and Hyejin gives her a bloody smile, eyes closing. 

“I love you.” 

Then, she’s gone. 


	13. thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> back to reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short follow up chapter.. going thru writer’s block

When Jeongin awakens he’s still in the forest, alone. 

He doesn’t know what to think, what to feel. Everything on his mind is just a mantra of curses and confusion with what to do or think and it hurts to even _breathe —_ every inch of his body feels prickly, as if millions of tiny thorns are poking him at once. 

He’s sprawled out on the ground, covered in snow as it accumulates on him. No part of him wants to get up; he would rather just lay there, unmoving.

He can’t even feel the cold anymore. 

_“Jeongin ah, promise me that when you’re older.. you’ll never return to the Winter kingdom.”_

_“Why?”_

_His mother’s eyes turn sad, but the smile on her face remains as bright as ever. She grabs the corners of his blanket and tugs it up higher, covering his chin. Jeongin snuggles in closer on instinct, eyes closing and a small smile growing on his own features._

_Hyejin doesn’t answer his question, but instead says, “There are some things that must remain a secret.”_

_He trusts his mother. A son should always trust his mother, right?_

There are some things that must remain a secret. 

“Did you mean grandmother dying?” Jeongin’s eyes close, and he completely relaxes against the permafrost. He wants to be sad, he wants to feel some sort of sadness but all he can feel is a rising anger bubbling up inside him. 

“Killing your own mother? Did you mean that?” He scoffs to no one, biting the inside of his cheek, “I trusted you. I cried for you — and this is how you repay me, mother?” 

All this time.. he thought he knew who his mother was. He blindly put his trust into her and he was stupid to do so. But.. then again.. what’s a son to do? If a child doesn’t trust his own mother, then he’s a bad son. 

And he doesn’t want to be a bad son. 

Jeongin opens his eyes, met with the moon looming over him as it swims in the sea of the night sky. The same moon his mother would tell him to look at to remind himself that she was always with him.

He loved to look at the moon, always finding it to be a safe place for him to rant and confide in. It always felt as if his mother was right next to him, hugging and holding him close just like during his childhood. 

The king blinks, wondering how the moon can possibly break through the heavy clouds. The thought doesn’t remain in his head for long, and he suddenly develops the urge to speak to the moon, to see if his mother will somehow respond and give him some form of wicked reassurance. 

“You lied to me.” He hoarsely mumbles, glaring. 

The moon only stares back. 

It seems to be mocking him now, laughing and pointing at Jeongin and treating him like the joke he is. 

Jeongin can’t bring himself to lash out in anger. He’s just so tired of everything. Tired of being here, tired of being fooled — tired of living in general. He’s sick of everything. Jeongin is weak against the permafrost, letting the snow fall on him and form small mounds over his still body. 

He closes his eyes again, and sends a small prayer that he doesn’t wake up. 

* * *

Felix takes in the image of Jeongin’s body delicately laid across the ground. 

Every inch of his body is covered in some bit of snow, whether it be a mound or a light dusting not one bit is spared from being covered. His brown hair should be matted from the moisture but instead it’s just as fluffy as ever, sprawled out across the snowy ground and forming a sort of halo with a couple strands. 

His eyes are closed, eyelashes brushing against his skin, which is now pale due to how long he’s spent time at the kingdom. His lips are parted a bit, showing a bit of his teeth but nothing more. He resembles a sleeping angel, and Felix can’t help but worry for him, especially since he’s been in the cold for so long. 

With a bit of magic, Felix lifts Jeongin up bridal style and holds him close. 

He’s so cold. 

Felix doesn’t like that. Jeongin shouldn’t be so cold to the touch… 

Was he actually sleeping? 

“Fuck,” Felix whispers, looking around to see if he could find anything that can give warmth to the boy in his arms. There’s nothing that could provide much needed heat and just as he’s about to start crying, Seungmin pops up in his line of vision alongside Changbin. 

“Hey!” He calls out, walking over to them, “I found him, but he doesn’t seem to be doing so well.” 

Seungmin is the first to reach him, extending his hand out to check Jeongin’s temperature but the second his skin makes contact with Jeongin’s own, he violently pulls his hand away with a quiet yelp. 

Tucking his hand into his pocket, Seungmin urgently looks at Felix and then, Changbin, before conjuring a blanket from thin air and draping it over the Spring monarch’s cold body. “We have to get him back to the palace as soon as possible.” He says, leaning down to listen to his heartbeat, which was slow. 

“Heartbeat’s slow, possible sort of deep sleep.” 

Changbin looks at Felix, “Where did you find him?” 

“Right here. He was just on the ground when I found him. He has no injuries or nothing of the sort, he just seems to be asleep.” Felix nods over to where Jeongin once laid, “He was right there and it seems like he was there for a while because there was snow piling on him.” 

“Enough talking. We have to get him back to the palace _now_.” 

Both Changbin and Felix notice the quaver in Seungmin’s voice, which is both a surprise and an indicator that they have to move fast. 

Changbin takes Seungmin’s hand and squeezes it. He glances at Felix, who gives him a nod, and turns back to press a kiss to Seungmin’s cold temple, “Let’s go.” 

They start the walk back to the palace, small conversation taking place between the couple but nothing more. Felix on the other hand trails behind them, silent and holding onto Jeongin with a vice-like grip, worried that if he even loosened it a bit the younger would disappear. 

The palace seems so far away from where they’re at, and it only makes Felix worry even more. 

He looks down at Jeongin’s sleeping form, ducking down to press a featherlight kiss to his cold forehead. He pulls away and to his surprise there’s a gold imprint of where his lips were just a couple seconds precious. It’s sparkling, glittering under the moonlight and bright enough to light the surrounding centimetres on his face. 

Felix has no idea why that appeared, and he’s too worried to ask the others for their input. 

As the mark fades away, Felix looks straight ahead and masks his anxieties with a passive expression, one fit for a king. 


	14. fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> felix’s thoughts

Felix has done nothing but sit right by Jeongin’s side for the past few days, never once leaving for  _ anything  _ at all. 

He sits at one of the overstuffed chairs right at the end of the large bed, elbow perched on the arm of the chair as he stares at the younger king with a passive expression that hid much more. He’s been fixated on a certain spot on Jeongin’s forehead for hours now, barely blinking and keeping his eyes open in case of any sudden movement from the younger. 

It’s silent, save for the crackling of the fire. He knows it feels as if it’d be more appropriate for Seungmin to be in his place rather than him, but Seungmin was busy being lovestruck by Changbin so Felix, without a word, assumed the role of keeping watch over Jeongin. 

Not to mention he was also the monarch and thus should perhaps stay in the company of the other as a form of courtesy. 

God, he feels so guilty. Technically, everything was his fault. 

From what the healers had told Felix, Jeongin is currently in a comatose state induced by a very strong, dark magic. He’s been out cold for nearly a week now, not once moving nor even showing signs of possibly overcoming whatever magic was holding him comatose. 

Felix has lost count of how many times he’s prayed to some sort of higher power that Jeongin turns out fine and that he awakens soon. 

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his face in his hands, staring right at the same spot he’s been staring at for the past week. It’s like his eyes are permanently glued to that certain place on Jeongin’s forehead, right between his eyes. The Winter monarch gives his entire attention to that specific spot in case of a sudden grimace or furrowing of the eyebrows that can signal the awakening of the younger king. 

Oftentimes, Seungmin or Changbin will walk in with his dinner and ask if he’s seen anything at all. Unfortunately, he’s always prepared with a negative answer and the sighs he receives hurt to hear. 

Felix slowly blinks, inhaling through his nose and exhaling sharply out of it. 

Without thinking, he gets up from his seat and walks over to the comatose monarch, reaching down with his hand to gently brush away the few strands of black hair that are on his forehead. With a sad smile, Felix brings the same hand up to his lips and kisses his fingertips. 

“Please, come back to me.” 

A mere whisper that leaves his lips, but loud enough for Jeongin to possibly hear. 

His lips quiver, and he squeezes his eyes shut to prevent tears from slipping, but quickly opening them upon realising that he’s taken his eyes off Jeongin. 

He’d rather the tears fall. 

Tearing his hand away from his lips, Felix presses his fingers against the surface of Jeongin’s pale forehead and watches as the contact area begins to glow again, just like that night he kissed him on the forehead. 

Perhaps.. perhaps this was Jeongin’s magic accepting Felix’s own? How else could he explain why he’s the only one who can make this happen. There’s definitely some magical unity happening, but to be sure he has to have the younger awake to ask him. 

Felix feels a tear slip from his eye, cascading down his face and dripping onto Jeongin’s face below. The area glows the same colour as his forehead, and as more tears fall more spots begin to fill up with gold, aura slowly rising up in smoke. 

Then, it clicks. 

All this magic.. all this magic just coursing through both of them at the moment.. it’s so strong. It’s powerful; so powerful that even Felix’s own tears spark such an astounding reaction when they make contact with the younger. He’s seen what the tears do, what the forehead kisses do.. but what if? 

He leans forward, pausing to bite his lip in thought. 

Everything is starting to fall into place. His own magic was untamed, disoriented and dangerous until Jeongin entered the picture. Jeongin with his beautiful energy, sarcastic wit, tough image. Jeongin and his own ways of showing appreciation for those close to him. 

The Spring spirit whom the Winter spirit needed the most. Two opposites holding hands and dancing around the same fire of life, smiles on their faces and laughs rising into the atmosphere. 

Felix has never felt so in touch with someone in his life, always feeling so, so alone and hopeless. He was stuck in his own eternal winter, cold and frozen waiting for someone to thaw him out. 

In comes Jeongin, his Spring, to release him from his own prison and to thaw him out. 

Jeongin. Just Jeongin. 

A village boy just like him, but with a very different life. A life Felix knew nothing about. He’s an orphan, the only sole living member of his family, and yet he’s so capable of wrapping others around his finger it’s almost admirable if it weren’t Felix who’d wind up wrapped around one of the delicate phalanges. 

He’s in love.

Despite the inappropriate feeling he gets from coming to an epiphany right at this moment, Felix smiles at the thought that he’s actually fallen in love with Jeongin, given their circumstances. Even more amazing is that what he feels is truly real, and he only hopes the other can honestly reciprocate his feelings. 

He’s hopeful. So, so hopeful. 

Felix looks down at the Spring spirit’s lips, then back up at his peaceful expression. He seems to just be sleeping and he’s beautiful like this, but even with this wretched beauty there’s so many negatives to being in such a state. 

So, Felix sucks in a breath and captures Jeongin’s lips with his own. 


	15. fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongin talks with his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not gonna lie this made me cry

He’s alone. No surprise. 

Jeongin gets up, knees cracking at the sudden movement and he sighs at the relief. He dusts himself off, looking around at his surroundings to see where he’s at. None of the area seems familiar to him; the green grass, the cherry blossoms floating in the air, the warm sun shining above him — none seems like the spring he’s used to. 

He walks around, flinching whenever the ground underneath him cracks as he steps on a randomly scattered branch. The noises are sudden and loud and will no doubt signal to anyone near of his presence. 

All he sees are cherry blossoms and vines looming over him, nearly touching the ground but not quite. They’re like curtains draping over the area, thick and relentless. Jeongin reaches out to push some out of the way in an attempt to see better, but they only push back and steer him towards a trail. 

A simple dirt trail. 

He has no choice but to follow it, eyes widening in awe as the cherry blossoms and vines part as if he were Moses parting the Red Sea. They move out of the way with every step he takes, revealing more of the trail ahead. The sound they make as they move is a rustling sound, one similar to the sound his own blossoms would make when the wind would strike them and for a split second he feels terribly homesick. 

It’s like he’s walking for forever, never once stopping to take a rest nor to just absorb everything happening around him. Jeongin would be lying if he says he isn’t confused, but he’s also rather intrigued by what’s occurring around him and if he has to be honest the confusion is slowly fading away into nothingness. 

He walks until he sees a figure in the distance, back turned towards him and head hung low. 

A woman. 

She’s wearing a long, flowing dress. One that’s so long in length it nearly reaches to where Jeongin is standing at the moment. He stares, eyebrows quickly furrowing once he realises that it’s his  _ mother  _ standing right in front of him, not knowing of his presence. 

Or so he thinks. 

“Jeongin,” She shakily whispers, still not turning to look at him, “I.. I don’t know what to say.” 

“Don’t. Don’t say anything.” 

Jeongin’s voice comes out colder than he means for it to be, but at the same time he really cannot cut any slack for his mother, especially after all that she’s done. 

She grimaces at his tone, hands reaching down to grasp her dress tightly as she shakes her head, silent. Her knuckles nearly go white from the amount of pressure her grip has, but she doesn’t seem to care. 

“You lied to me. I trusted you, mother, I really did. How could you hide this from me?” 

Hyejin finally turns to look at Jeongin, and there are tears streaming down her face as she takes in a quivering breath and releases her dress from her hold. “I didn’t mean to kill my mother. It was all an accident — I didn’t have control of myself when it all happened. My magic was unstable.. I was so scared. Your grandmother, I loved her so much, I didn’t have any intentions to harm her at all.” 

She goes silent, and some cherry blossom petals start to wilt away. 

“You were going to kill your sister.. why?” 

Hyejin looks directly into Jeongin’s eyes, tears still falling from her own in thick drops. There’s so much sadness that her eyes hold, so much pain that Jeongin has to take a moment to breathe before looking back at his mother, heart aching. 

“Jinhee.. my sister wasn’t meant to be the queen. She was never meant to be the Winter spirit.” 

Jeongin freezes, “What?” 

“It was me all along.” Hyejin whispers, voice cracking, “She took the throne from me and used the power for bad intentions. She found a way to siphon the half the spirit from me and fed on that poor sliver for so, so long. She didn’t die because of an illness, the spirit just faded away.” 

She takes a step forward, “The stone was how she took my spirit. That day I went to the palace with my intentions to remove her.. she used the soul stone. My energy, my soul, my spirit were all trapped in there until you found it.” 

“She wore it as a necklace.” Jeongin concludes, eyes filling up with tears as his mother slowly nods and says, “Yes. My soul was merely an accessory for the longest of time.” 

Hyejin gives him a sad smile, eyes glistening with more unrushed tears, “I didn’t mean any harm for anyone except her. I wanted to save my people from the tyranny my sister imposed upon them. I wasn’t successful, unfortunately, but there is someone else.” 

The smile on her face grows, and Jeongin’s eyes widen. 

“Mother…” 

“That Felix boy, the new king, he’ll be the one to restore what the Winter kingdom once had. But he can’t do it alone, Jeongin.” Hyejin comes closer and puts her hands on Jeongin’s shoulders, squeezing them and sniffling as she takes in what’s become of the boy she left all those years ago. 

“Felix…” Jeongin mutters, tears right on the edge of spilling. Hyejin hums, blinking and letting more tears release from her eyes, “He loves you dearly. You two will do amazing things together.” 

There’s a brief second of warmth before a sudden wave of guilt and sadness washes over Jeongin. 

The Spring king looks up at his mother, bottom lip quivering, “Mother, I’m so sorry.” 

“Whatever for, my son?” 

“For not believing you.” 

His mother brings him in for a hug, squeezing him tightly and tangling her hand in his hair, kissing the top of his head as Jeongin tucks his face into her shoulder, biting back a sob. He’s missed her hugs so much and to experience one after so many lonely years is such a great comfort to him. 

“I’m so sorry for not trusting you. It was foolish of me and I still love you so much, mom. I miss you so much, please come back to me.. please. I just want you to be with me again, please mom.” 

Hyejin quietly replies, “It’s alright, love. I love you so much, my sweet boy. I’ll never leave your side, I promise. You’ll always have me, forever, and no one will take you away from me.” 

Jeongin begins to sob, shoulders shaking with each cry that is ripped out of him. All the while, his mother holds him close and rocks him as if he were a baby, comforting him and shushing him gently. 

Just how a mother should. 

Sacred, a mother’s love is the strongest bond that is near impossible to break, soulmates from birth to death, a mother will always love her child as if he laid the stars for her. 

Jeongin feels so warm in her hold, and he holds on tight to her, scared that if he relaxes a bit she’ll leave him. It’s inevitable, but he wishes there was some way to bring her back and to have his sun back in his overcast life. 

He’s nothing without his mother, he’s empty without his rock. Jeongin’s sick of living as a shell of what his former character used to be. He hasn’t  _ been  _ living, in fact. 

Hyejin begins to pull away, and Jeongin desperately grabs her arms, trying to keep her close, “Mom- Mom please don’t go…” She stifles her own sobs and places her hand on Jeongin’s head again, ruffling his hair, “Love, you have someone waiting for you.” 

“No, no I need you please — mom please I need you please don’t leave me alone and cold again! I’m so miserable without you, mom.. every day it hurts to live knowing that you’re not there with me. Please, please.” 

“Honey, you’re not alone, I promise you. You have the sun back in your life, my love.” 

“Need you, too.” 

Hyejin gently pulls away and presses a kiss to Jeongin’s forehead, brushing his stray hairs away with a small smile on her face. Jeongin shakes his head in disbelief, tears continuing to fall from his eyes in large streams. Hyejin grabs his hands, squeezing them and looks behind her, over to where a door stands, now revealed by the blossoms and vines. 

Jeongin kisses her hands, pressing his forehead against the back of them as one final goodbye. 

The door opens, and Hyejin steps aside, bowing deeply. 

“Felix is waiting for you, my king.” 


	16. sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> one month later

_ One month later  _

Jeongin stands at the balcony of his castle, eyes overlooking the wondrous cities that are hustling below him. Oh, how he’s missed this view. It never failed to take his breath away and even now, it still made him just marvel at the sheer beauty of his kingdom and just how gorgeous it is. 

He remembers everything that happened at the Winter kingdom, and whilst he made favourable memories there, he’d rather not dwell on the fact that he was practically comatose for nearly two weeks. 

Life is so unpredictable. 

For example, to be the Spring spirit was something Jeongin had never seen coming for him. 

He used to live life as an ordinary boy in the village, waking up every morning at the crack of dawn to tend to the livestock his family owned and traded for various necessities. He remembers the feel of the soft cows under his fingertips as he brushed them, removing any sort of knots from their hairs and making sure they were well fed. 

He also remembers the way his mother would always come out to help him feed the pigs; she would always have a wide smile that could rival the sun, and despite their daily hardships, she never appeared to grow old nor tired. 

But now he knows the hardships she endured to keep her children safe and happy. He knows what she’s been through, and he now knows that she was tired, she just never showed it. 

Spring was her favourite season, never failing to tell her children every night just how she was never happy in the Winter Kingdom, and how when she turned of age she immediately moved away from the eternal winter and to the beautiful, blossoming Spring Kingdom. Jeongin knows why now, and he’s proud of her bravery. 

Often there were times in which his mother was stressed. Those were the times her natural hair would start to grow back to its snowy white, a colour she desperately tried to get rid of with artificial colouring agents. 

Jeongin never understood why she’d stand in front of the mirror for hours on end, looking at each individual strand of hair on her head. He thought she looked pretty with her white hair. 

But he now knows. He knows of the secrets she worked hard to hide until Jeongin could take it, and for that he couldn’t be more proud of her. She risked her life every day, from when she woke up to when she would go to sleep she’d risk her own life for her children. It was admirable, and it made Jeongin proud to be her son. 

The portrait he had of her was enlarged and now hangs over the grand entrance of the castle with her appropriate title as Queen of the Winter kingdom underneath. She’s remembered as a brave mother and queen who had the throne taken from her unjustly. Hyejin is celebrated now, and history will include her for years to come, Jeongin is sure of it. 

He grips the stone railing, leaning forward to get a closer look at the bakery he’d always visit as a child. His mother would take him there nearly every Sunday, always telling him that he can choose between a loaf of bread or a baked sweet to take him. He always chose the baked sweets, but recently he’s been more into bread. He doesn’t know why, but bread seems more familiar to him now. 

Jeongin leans back, tilting his head back and closing his eyes to deeply inhale the scent of the sea that wasn’t too far from the castle. 

There’s a knock at the door and then it opens. Jeongin turns around to lock eyes with a maid, who just clears her throat and bows deeply, “King Felix, your majesty.” 

The smile that breaks out on Jeongin’s face is wide, equally matching the one on Felix’s own. He runs towards him, wrapping his arms around his neck and Felix grabs him by the waist and lifts him up, twirling him around as he’s overcome by joy. Jeongin laughs, and as Felix sets him down, he presses his forehead against the other’s and breathily giggles, “I’ve missed you.” 

“Missed you too.” Felix whispers, eyes darting from Jeongin’s own to his lips. In a swift motion he takes the younger’s lips with his own, lovingly and gently kissing him. Jeongin immediately melts against the kiss, but as soon as he does, Felix pulls away to press many more kisses on his face. 

“Hyung,” Jeongin whines, eyes squeezing shut as Felix’s lips brush over his eyelids, “You’re so overdramatic.” 

Pulling away, Felix cocks an eyebrow and pecks Jeongin’s lips one last time before completely detaching himself from the younger, “You were in a coma right before my very eyes, okay? Let me spoil you.” 

“I don’t see how that has to do with anything but whatever.” 

Felix hums, “How’s everyone? I mean, Seungmin and Changbin — we both know how they’re doing but the others? Chan and Minho? Hyunjin and Jisung? How are they?” 

“Both couples are doing just fine, actually. They’re both as happy as can be and in fact I heard that Chan hyung was planning on proposing sometime soon.” 

“That’s spectacular! I wonder if the wedding will be grand or just private.” 

Jeongin rolls his eyes, “He hasn’t even said yes yet, silly.” 

“Oh but he will.” 

“Yes, he will.” 

* * *

Jeongin sits at his bed, back turned to Felix who is sleeping at the right side. He’s staring ahead at the wall, right into the mirror that stands right across from his bed. He seems so pale in contrast to how he was just weeks ago, and it’s a change he’s gotten used to but no matter how many times he sees himself in the mirror it’s always a surprise to his eyes. 

Felix’s soft snores fill the air, and Jeongin smiles to himself. 

He never expected to find love at the most uncommon place, but love found him and he cannot describe just how lucky he is to have gotten stuck with Felix. He’s not complaining, on the contrary, he’s grateful that Felix waltzed into his life in the most unexpected manner. 

If he didn’t have Felix in his life he doesn’t know where he’d be now. 

Both lonely souls, intertwined to join into one whole spirit. Direct opposites, but destined by prophecy to meet and fall for each other. 

He loves Felix so much. 

Jeongin stands up, walking over to the window and looking outside into the sparkling city below, just like a couple hours before. 

Everything is so calm, so perfect. He wouldn’t trade this for anything of equal value. 

His kingdom prospers and lives on to see many more days to come. 

Jeongin knows his mother is smiling down at him and he knows she’s proud of her son, just like how he’s proud to be her son. 

He fishes the soul stone and kisses it, looking up at the moon which shines bright at him, as if it was smiling big and wide. Jeongin grins, bowing deeply at the moon and kissing the stone one more time. 

“Thank you, mother.” 

He goes back to the bed, sliding under the covers and moving to lay next to Felix, resting his head against the elder’s chest. Felix immediately wraps his arms around him, tugging him close. Jeongin welcomes the feeling of warmth, loving the way Felix’s arms fit perfectly around his body like a puzzle piece. 

Jeongin presses a kiss to his jaw, and then closes his eyes. 

“Love you.” 

“Love you, too.” Felix sleepily whispers, snuggling in and pressing a kiss to Jeongin’s cheek. They then settle into a deep slumber, dreaming of each other. 

Perhaps.. perhaps all is well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> end. 
> 
> thank you so much for reading. i appreciate it so, so much. 
> 
> twitter - hyunlovs


End file.
